1148 A Rare Case of Loose Right Medial Umbilical Ligament Found During Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Abstract

Abstract Aim We report this extremely rare variation of loose medial umbilical ligament discovered incidentally during laparoscopic appendectomy. This can be a potential cause of bowel obstruction and internal herniation or cause technical difficulty during laparoscopic surgery. Method A 29-year-old man presented to the emergency department with one day history of central abdominal pain that shifted to right iliac fossa associated with nausea and vomiting. He has no significant past medical history. His abdominal examination revealed tenderness and guarding in the right iliac fossa and his inflammatory markers were elevated. A clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made. Results The patient was brought to the operating theatre for laparoscopic appendectomy. Laparoscopy revealed acutely inflamed appendix and also a completely redundant rounded structure extending from the anterior abdominal wall just to the right side of the umbilicus to the small bowel mesentery consistent with right medial umbilical ligament. The left medial umbilical ligament was entirely normal. Excision of right medial umbilical ligament was done using LigaSure laparoscopic instrument and was sent for histology. Laparoscopic appendectomy was also performed. The patient recovered well with no complications. Conclusions The medial umbilical ligament is the obliterated umbilical artery. This anatomical variation of the medial umbilical ligament is extremely rare. Surgeons should be aware of anatomical variations of medial umbilical ligament especially during laparoscopic surgeries at it may affect the surgeon’s preference for trocar locations.