title: Anatomical assessment of bile ducts of Luschka in human fetuses.
abstract: Bile ducts of Luschka (also called subvesical or supravesicular ducts) can cause bile leakage during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, especially if surgery is carried out in ignorance of such variations. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical anatomy of these ducts in human fetuses and frequency of the ducts locating near gallbladder fossa. Thirty-two fetal cadaver livers were dissected and the gallbladders were separated from the livers and ducts were investigated under a surgical microscope. All observed ducts were examined microscopically and connective tissue cords were excluded. Bile ducts of Luschka locating near cystic fossa were found in 7 of 32 fetuses (21.9%). Three of the seven ducts ran towards to liver segment 5 (S5); three ducts were found in the gallbladder fossa; and one duct ran towards to liver segment 4 (S4). Also it was found that three of the seven ducts drained into the subsegmental duct of S5, two ducts drained into the right hepatic duct, one duct drained into the right anterior branch bile duct, and one duct drained into the subsegmental duct of S4. Subvesical ducts running along the gallbladder fossa between the gallbladder and the liver parenchyma were found in a relatively high incidence in fetuses than adults. Awareness and knowledge about incidence of such ducts alerts the surgeon during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Therefore morbidity due to bile leaks can be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik-Ankara, Turkey. nkocabiyik@gata.edu.tr
authors.forename: Necdet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kocabiyik
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kilbas
authors.forename: Sinan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Karadeniz
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comert
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozan
mesh_terms: D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology