Is laparoscopic cholecystectomy safe for lymphangioma of the gallbladder? A complicated case mimicking subhepatic abscess

Lymphangiomas are rare benign neoplasms of the lymphatic tissue generally occurring in the childhood. Cystic lymphangioma of the gallbladder is an extremely rare tumor with only eight cases having been reported in the literature. The aspecific and potentially misleading clinical presentation of these tumors requires complex preoperative imaging in the setting of clinical suspicion to make the correct diagnosis. The treatment of choice is complete excision with negative margins to avoid local recurrence. Their tendency to locally invade the surrounding tissues requires sometimes extended resections. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be a questionable choice in this setting; however, the procedures can be performed safely in most cases, although complicated. We report the case of a hemorrhagic cystic lymphangioma of the gallbladder mimicking a subhepatic abscess and operated in emergency with laparoscopic approach. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.