Pollutant chemicals cause floating gallbladder

Hyderabad: Floating gallbladder is a rare condition developed due to abnormalities during the growth process and it is being linked to pollutant-chemicals. 

According to a study by Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital & Research Centre, of the 45 anatomies researched, the condition was found in only two of them. 

Dr Tallapaneni Sreekanth, associate professor, department of anatomy, said, “This is a rare condition and it comes to light only when the cases are reported. The gallbladder is a green-coloured elongated pear shaped sac with 30 to 50 ml capacity. The upper part of the gallbladder is the neck and the lower part, when hangs down, is called the floating or wandering gallbladder.”

The condition is rare and there have been 45 documented cases in Hyderabad. A male and female cadaver anatomy presented this condition, leading to further follow-up and research. 

The medical journals reported the case of a Japanese woman who suffered from severe abdominal pains and it was not clear what was causing the pain. Dr R.V. Kumar, a senior resident with the gastroenterology department at Osmania General Hospital, said, “When a gallbladder hangs freely from the liver there is a possibility of it restricting the blood supply. It the case of the Japanese woman, the study showed that she suffered from pain for long. Her death was due to strangulation of the blood supply in the abdominal region. These findings have forced the department to look into all factors when people come with severe abdominal pains.”

The research and documented cases are important for radiologists and gastroenterologists as they can identify whether it is fixed or wandering during ultrasound scans. In clinical examinations, tenderness in the abdomen region while sitting and lying down is an indication. A gallbladder is a complication in the abdominal region and diagnosing it will help address the problem.