Subcapsular haematoma following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is now considered the gold standard treatment for symptomatic gallbladder disease. Over the last two decades, a reduction in postoperative morbidity, mortality and hospital stay have seen a complete shift from open surgery to a laparoscopic approach. Intrahepatic subcapsular haematoma (ISH) is a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of LC. A 34-year-old female underwent LC for uncomplicated cholelithiasis. No complications were observed intra-operatively. 2 h postoperatively, the patient developed severe abdominal pain and tachycardia. Ultrasonography demonstrated an echogenic collection adjacent to the gallbladder fossa. Laparoscopy showed an ISH involving the right and left lobes of the liver, and no evidence of any intra-abdominal haemorrhage. Subsequent urgent triphasic CT identified a large ISH and a hypervascular lesion on the right lobe of the liver. This lesion demonstrated delayed enhancement with contrast filling suggestive of a hepatic haemangioma. This case report demonstrates the impact of imaging on postoperative management and the importance of postoperative patient monitoring in patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery. Imaging explorations have a decisive role in the detection and characterization of haematomas.