Is right-sided ligamentum teres hepatis always accompanied by left-sided gallbladder? Case reports and literature review

Right-sided ligamentum teres (RSLT) hepatis is a rare anatomical variant in which the fetal umbilical vein is connected to the right paramedian trunk of the portal vein. Despite its rarity, it is crucial for surgeons and intervention specialists because of its frequent association with intrahepatic vascular and biliary anomalies. Inattention to these anomalies before intervention, especially living-donor liver transplantation, can have life-threatening consequences. The relationship between gallbladder location and RSLT is still controversial, with RSLT regarded as one of the critical features of left-sided gallbladder in most studies. According to these hypotheses, once RSLT is present, left-sided gallbladder must be found as well. Here, we report three cases in which RSLT was associated with intrahepatic portal vein anomalies. In one case, the gallbladder was left-sided, but in the other two cases, it had a normal cholecystic axis to the right of the umbilical fissure. Therefore, the relationship between RSLT and gallbladder location may require redefinition, and surgeons should be aware of vascular anomalies once RSLT has been detected, even in the absence of left-sided gallbladder or biliary anomalies.