ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to determine the various patterns of union of cystic duct to the common bile duct and to find and document the most common patterns. Design: An observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Mayo and National Hospital, Lahore. Subjects and The study is based upon laparoscopic dissection of 600 patients done between December 1995 to December 2000. These dissections were carried out as a part of laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed on these patients. The pattern of union of cystic duct with the common hepatic duct was studied and anomalies documented. It was noted that the original pattern of the union on the right lateral side is seen only in 32% cases, whereas an overwhelming majority i.e. 68% does not follow the known anatomic patterns. The patterns seen in the study were grouped into three different types. It was evident from this study that the common pattern described by the text books does not represent the true picture and indeed a lot of variations exist in this area