Acute Cholecystitis in Two Patients Carrying a Situs Inversus: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge

Abstract

The situs inversus is a rare anatomical condition which is characterized by the transposition of organs towards the opposite side. The left position of the gall-bladder makes the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis difficult because of an unusual symptomatology. It is also associated with a difficulty of laparoscopic dissection of the stone-block triangle especially for the right-handed surgeons. We report the cases of 2 patients whose different explorations confirmed the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis and total situs inversus and benefited from a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in these two cases, is an original intervention because of the mirrored vision of the intraperitoneal organs and can even be difficult leading to iatrogenic complications. However, the laparoscopic approach remains the gold standard even in the presence of this mirrored anatomy.