The diagnostic challenges presented by patient with duplication of gallbladder with the distal common bile duct stricture
Gallbladder duplication is a congenital malformation, is rarely recognized in childhood and occurs in 1 in 4,000 live births. Often, abnormalities in the development of the biliary tract are detected on abdominal imaging or accidentally during surgery in adult patients for an unrelated condition. In this article, the authors describe the complexity of diagnosing a combination of duplication of the gallbladder and stricture of the common bile duct in a 14-year-old child and analyze the diagnostic and tactical errors in the surgical treatment that resulted in the failure to timely diagnose the stricture of the common bile duct. In our opinion, timely diagnosis and proper surgical technique in combined hepatobiliary disorders in children are difficult, even for experienced professionals. However, adequate clinical manifestations assessment, considering an alternative explanation for the presenting symptoms, and timely correction of management errors in the preoperative period could lead to better treatment outcomes.