The liver twist: A case of accessory liver lobe torsion presenting after mild trauma

Abstract

An accessory liver lobe is a congenital anomaly of hepatic tissue most commonly due to embryonic heteroplasia. Rarely, accessory liver lobes can undergo torsion and present as an acute surgical emergency. Although common in certain animals, there are only a few reported cases of accessory lobe torsion in humans. We report a multi-modality radiographic diagnosis of an acute torsion and subsequent infarct of an accessory liver lobe following minor trauma in a 29-year old male patient.

Keywords

• Accessory liver lobe
• Torsion
• Liver
• Computed tomography
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Ultrasound