Case report of situs inversus totalis and laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in patients with situs inversus totalis (SIT) characterized by transposition of organs to the opposite side of the body can be technically challenging. A 43-year-old Hispanic woman presented with epigastric pain radiating to the chest and back, intermittently over 3 months, but worse on day of admission. During the cardiac workup, she was noted to have dextrocardia. The patient had a left-sided Murphy's sign, propagating a workup that confirmed SIT, including an ultrasound showing cholelithiasis and normal ducts. The patient underwent an LC and was found to have choledocholithiasis. An endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography cleared the common bile duct of a choledocholith. LC is the gold standard for cholecystitis. It is the second most common laparoscopic procedure conducted worldwide. When SIT is encountered, feasibility and technical difficulty in diagnosis and treatment of such cases pose challenges due to contralateral transposition of the visceral organs. Difficulty is encountered when exposing the triangle of Calot/critical view of safety and especially when conducting a cholangiogram. As such, added time is usually required to conduct the procedure. Conducting an LC in a patient with SIT is feasible when performed by an experienced laparoscopic surgeon. The diagnosis and initial presenting signs and symptoms are different from the patient with a normal anatomy. The surgical skills of the surgeon are challenged, especially in the right hand-dominant individual. The mindset of the surgeon requires changing the critical thinking when conducting a mirror image dissection.