title: Solitary cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct.
abstract: A 31 year old man was hospitalised with general fatigue and epigastric pain. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion in the left lobe of the liver. Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography and percutaneous trans-hepatic cholangiography revealed a localised dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct without any obstruction. However, a large mass of mucinous material was noted in the saccular intrahepatic duct and the common bile duct. There was no evidence of a choledochal cyst, anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union, or congenital cystic change of the kidneys. A possible diagnosis of mucinous cystic neoplasm of the intrahepatic bile duct was made and a left hepatectomy performed. Cholangiography of the resected specimen showed a non-obstructive solitary cystic dilatation of the left hepatic duct. Histologically, the dilated duct was lined with columnar biliary epithelium without any papillary proliferation and/or atypia. Neither malignancy nor hepatic fibrosis was observed; the term "solitary cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct" perhaps is more descriptive and the concept easier to understand.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohmoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography