UNEXPECTED GALL BLADDER CARCINOMA – A SURPRISING HISTOPATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS

Objective: To determine the frequency of gall bladder carcinoma incidentally diagnosed in patients undergoing routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and Methods: Histopathology section of Pathology Department, Azra Naheed Medical College Raiwind Road, Lahore from January 2018 to July 2021. A total of 214 simple or laparoscopic cholecystectomy specimens were included. Detailed gross & microscopic examination was done. All diagnoses including benign histopathological findings and incidental gall bladder carcinoma were analyzed. The important findings like resection margin involvement, maximum wall thickness of gallbladder, type of adenocarcinoma and TNM staging were noted. Results: Out of 214 simple or laparoscopic cholecystectomy specimens, there were three (1.4%) cases of incidental gallbladder carcinoma exclusively found in females. Mean age recorded was 45.7 years. Maximum thickness of gall bladder wall was 4.7 cm and maximum stage was pT2. Conclusion: According to our study there were three cases of incidental gallbladder carcinomas out of 214 cholecystectomy specimens. Considering this, histopathological study of gall bladder is essential not to miss any carcinoma, keeping in view the grim prognosis. Key Words: Gall bladder, Incidental carcinoma, Cholecystectomy, Cholelithiasis.