title: Incidence and significance of ultrastructural changes in the common bile duct in lithiasis with dilatation of the duct.
abstract: Scanning electron microscopy was used to define the difference in incidence of morphologic changes between dilated and non-dilated common bile ducts in patients with choledocholithiasis. In the dilated ducts there were large, crater-like fenestrations in the epithelial surface, associated with focal epithelial sloughing. The incidence of such changes was significantly greater than in the non-dilated ducts. The mechanism of the changes is postulated to comprise biliary stasis and subepithelial infiltration of bile through epithelial fenestrations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure