TWO CASES OF ECTOPIC LIVER

Ectopic liver is an anomaly of the liver, the incidence of which is very low. Our search of the Japanese literature revealed only 32 reports. We have recently examined two cases of ectopic liver, and these are discussed with reference to the literature. Patient 1 was a 69-year-old woman. Laparotomy was undertaken on the basis of a diagnosis of cholecysto-lithiasis. Ectopic liver of 8×4mm in size was observed on the peritoneal side of the fundus of the gallbladder. Patient 2 was a 52-year-old woman. As a result of laparotomy for a diagnosis of gastric cancer, ectopic liver of 8×5×3mm in size was found to be connected via the pedicle to the inferior surface of the medial area of the left lobe of the liver. Ectopic liver shows no clinical symptoms in most cases, and it is frequently found incidentally at autopsy or during operation. Since most cases of ectopic liver are observed in the gallbladder, it is necessary for ectopic liver to be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of lesions of hypertrophic wall of the gallbladder.