title: Caroli's disease: 6 case studies.
abstract: Caroll's disease is characterized by congenital non-obstructive dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts of undefined etiology. It is a rare disease usually affecting the whole liver but it may affect a lobe or a segment (11). This study shows the evolution of 6 cases (2 boys and 4 giris) that were diagnosed with Caroli's disease at a referral service. Their ages ranged from 2 to 16 years--median age 10 years. One of the patients presented with cholangitis, while hepatomegaly was observed in 83% of the cases. Four of the patients presented biliary lithiasis and in one of these cholesterol crystals could be observed in the duodenal secretion. The diagnosis was confirmed in 4 cases by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, in 1 by cholangioresonance and 1 by echography. Two of the patients also presented congenital hepatic fibrosis. The outpatient clinic follow-up indicated that all the patients evolved well with the exception of one patient who was selected as a candidate for liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Dept., Gastroenterology Service, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. amdetommaso@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Adriana Maria Alves
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Tommaso
authors.forename: Daniela Salles Moreira
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hessel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016767:Caroli Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid