Floating gallbladder: A questionable prelude to torsion - A case report

A 55-year-old woman had recurrent bouts of low substernal and epigastric pa in radiating into the interscapular region. A hepatobiliary scan initially showed what was believed to be a dilated common bile duct and nonvisualizat ion of the gallbladder. A delayed image obtained after having the patient m ove about revealed the presence of a filled gallbladder and normal common b ile duct. The combination of recurrent pain with this scintigraphic picture may be representative of a floating gallbladder or an incomplete torsion w ith spontaneous detorsion. This case is presented to describe the scintigra phic appearance of a mobile gallbladder that may be prone to volvulus and t o emphasize the importance of obtaining decubitus or oblique views at the e nd of a hepatobiliary study in selected cases of unusual findings.