Cystic Duct Opening into Right Hepatic Duct; a Disaster Waiting to Happen During Cholecystectomy: A Case Report

Cholecystectomy is the most commonly performed elective surgery worldwide. Variations in the normal anatomy of the biliary tree are common. Cystic duct variations are surgically most significant. Incidence of cystic duct opening into right hepatic duct is very low. In the case presented in this report cystic duct opened into the right hepatic duct. An abnormally wide cystic duct made us suspicious and after careful dissection we could trace the cystic duct entering into right hepatic duct. Various radiologic investigations like ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography), Helical CT (computerized tomography) can give us excellent picture of biliary tree but they are seldom used preoperatively. Hence the proper knowledge of normal anatomy and anomalies of the biliary tree can help to avoid disasters during cholecystectomy, especially for surgeons beginning their careers.