PURPOSE: To evaluate the relative image qualities obtained at magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) turbo spin-echo (SSTSE) sequence and the three-dimensional turbo spin-echo (3D TSE) sequence with the sensitivity encoding (SENSE) technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with suspected hepatic and extrahepatic diseases underwent MRCP using the SSTSE sequence and the 3D TSE sequence with the SENSE technique. Three radiologists scored and compared the quality of images of anatomic structures in the hepatopancreatic biliary system, and then directly compared the quality of the images obtained using the two sequences in each set of cases. RESULTS: For visualization of the intrahepatic bile duct, the cystic duct, the common bile duct, and the pancreatic duct, MRCP images obtained using the 3D TSE sequence with the SENSE technique were better than those obtained using the SSTSE sequence, though for the intrahepatic bile duct and common bile duct only, were these differences statistically significant (p<0.05). Quality was best for images of the common bile duct (87.5% for SSTSE and 97.5 % for 3D TSE with the SENSE technique). For the pancreatic and cystic duct, however, 52.5% and 10% of SSTSE images, respectively, and 57.5% and 32.5% of 3D TSE images, respectively, provided optimal image quality. In direct comparison, 3D TSE images obtained using the SENSE technique were better in 27 cases (67.5%), both images were equivocal in five cases (12.5%), and SSTSE images were better in eight cases (20%). These differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: For the visualization of anatomic structures in the hepatopancreatic biliary system, the 3D TSE sequence with the SENSE technique was better than the SSTSE sequence. For evaluation of the pancreatic and cystic duct, however, both techniques have their limitations and require further development.
Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Humans ; Pancreatic Ducts

Multiple cancers in the extrahepatic biliary tree are relatively rare. Many such cases are a double cancer of the common bile duct and the gallbladder. We report a case of a double primary cancer that occurred synchronously at the hilum of the extrahepatic duct and the ampulla of Vater with a review of the relevant literature. A 57-year-old man was admitted to our institution after a 15 day of painless jaundice and a urine color change. Ultrasonography showed a dilation of both intrahepatic ducts. Upper endoscopy revealed a protruding ulcerative mass at the ampulla of Vater and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed a dilated common bile duct and a mildly dilatated pancreatic duct, but both intrahepatic bile ducts were not visualized. An upper abdominal CT scan showed a dilation of both intrahepatic bile ducts and an infiltrating mass at the bifurcation area. Magnetic resonance cholangiopanreatography showed narrowing bile duct lumen that was obstructed by the tumor at the hepatic duct bifurcation, which dilated both intrahepatic ducts. A histological examination of the ampulla of Vater revealed a well differentiated adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. The final diagnosis was a synchronous double cancer of Klatskin's tumor and an adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiography ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Gallbladder ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Klatskin's Tumor* ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ulcer ; Ultrasonography

An esophageal perforation is a condition requiring emergency treatment. Although previously spontaneous ruptures were the most common etiology, as endoscopic and radiologic diagnosis and treatment have developed recently, iatrogenic ruptures due to instrumentation have increased to become the most common cause of esophageal perforations. Generally, the treatment of esophageal stenosis is composed of esophageal dilatation using a Maloney or a Mercury dilator and medical treatment for reflux esophagitis. Recently, balloon-catheter dilatation of the esophagus has produced safe and excellent results, and self-expansible metallic stents has been very useful in controlling malignant strictures of the esophagus with low mortality and morbidity. We experienced an esophageal perforation after balloon dilatation and the insertion of a self-expanding silicone-covered Gianturco stent to the site of the esophageal stenosis which was due to reflux esophagitis. The abdomen was opened through an upper midline incision. There was a 3-cm-long longitudinal laceration on the distal esophagus which was closed transversely as with a Heinecke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty after a debridement. To reinforce the site of esophageal laceration and to prevent esophageal reflux, the gastric fundus was pulled and sutured over the esophageal sutures, and the second-layer mattress suture was made 1 cm proximal to the first sutures, including central ligaments of the diaphragm. To prevent bile reflux, we converted from a Billroth-II to a Roux- en-Y gastrojejunostomy. We followed up for 30 months and found no signs of any esophageal stenosis or gastroesophageal reflux. Surgeons rarely encounter variability of the extrabiliary system. However we experienced an anomaly of the extrahepatic bile duct, an incompletely septated double ductus choledochus consisting of two chambers, a proximal-blinded right-down-sided chamber and a left-upper-sided one, which drained from both intrahepatic bile ducts. A large stone was in the proximal-blinded lower choledochus which contained the cystic duct orifice. In this case, several problems were met. First, an exact preoperative diagnosis of the anomalous anatomy was not made with ultrasonogram and computed tomography. Second, the palpable stone was not visualized even on choledochotomy of the left-upper-sided chamber. Third, a surgical decision had to be made whether the septum should be removed. We performed a complete septotomy to prevent bile stasis in the down chamber. Here, we present a description of this rare extrahepatic bile duct anomaly, along with a review of the literature.
Abdomen ; Bile ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Bile Reflux ; Choledocholithiasis* ; Common Bile Duct* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Cystic Duct ; Debridement ; Diagnosis ; Diaphragm ; Dilatation ; Emergency Treatment ; Esophageal Perforation ; Esophageal Stenosis ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Esophagus ; Gastric Bypass ; Gastric Fundus ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Lacerations ; Ligaments ; Mortality ; Rupture ; Rupture, Spontaneous ; Stents ; Sutures ; Ultrasonography

Carcinomas of the biliary tract are known to be more common in East Asia than in Western countries, but their exact histopathological characteristics and tumorigenesis are not well elucidated. To examine the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the biliary tract carcinomas according to their anatomical sites and to elucidate their tumorigenesis, we performed histological review and immunohistochemical study in a total of 135 cases of biliary tract carcinomas; 24 intrahepatic bile duct, 34 gallbladder, 51 common bile duct, and 26 periampullary carcinomas. Precancerous lesions were associated with 5 (20.8%) cases of intrahepatic duct carcinomas (dysplasia 5), 7 (20.6%) cases of gallbladder carcinomas (adenoma 5, dysplasia 2), 10 (19.6%) cases of common bile duct carcinomas (adenoma 7, dysplasia 3), and 2(7.7%)cases of periampullary carcinomas (adenoma 2). Immunohistochemically, c-erbB-2 expression in gallbladder carcinoma (21/34, 62%) was significantly higher than that of intrahepatic (8/24, 33%). Ki-67 indices were higher in common bile duct carcinomas (19%) than those of intrahepatic bile duct (14%) or periampullary carcinomas (12%). Overexpression of p53 gene product in the periampullary carcinomas (20/22, 77%) was higher than that of intrahepatic (12/24, 50%) or common bile duct carcinoma (26/51, 51%). In the precancerous lesions the c-erbB-2 expression was present in 29% of the gallbladder, 20% of the intrahepatic, 10% of the common bile duct precancerous lesions and none of the 2 cases of adenomas in the periampullary region. The p53 overexpression in the precancerous lesions was frequent, ranging from 43% to 60%. These results suggest that a mechanism involving p53 gene mutation and c-erbB-2 gene activation is present in the tumorigenesis in a significant number of the biliary tract carcinomas and they may be the early events in the tumorigenesis of the biliary tract carcinomas.
Adenoma ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract* ; Carcinogenesis ; Common Bile Duct ; Far East ; Gallbladder ; Genes, erbB-2 ; Genes, p53

A 66-year-old male was admitted to the department of surgery, at the Presbyterian Medical Center due to right upper quadrant pain. Tumor marker studies reported CEA and CA19-9 elevation. Liver function test was normal. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a single infiltrative tumor in the left lobe of liver, multiple lymphadenopathies around the common hepatic duct and intrahepatic bile duct dilatation of the left lobe. The gallbladder was nonspecific. During laparotomy, we found an ill-marginated and infiltrative tumor in the left lobe of liver, multiple enlarged lymph nodes around the common hepatic duct and cystic duct, and mild thickening of the gallbladder fundus wall. Left hepatic lobectomy and cholecystectomy were performed. Pathologic findings revealed that the liver tumor was a moderated differentiated adenocarcinoma with extension to the pericystic and pericommon hepatic lymph nodes and focal adenocarcinoma in situ of gallbladder mucosal wall with clear cystic duct resection margin. We therefore report a rare case of synchronous double primary cancer of the intrahepatic bile duct and gallbladder.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic* ; Cholecystectomy ; Cystic Duct ; Dilatation ; Gallbladder* ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Liver ; Liver Function Tests ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Protestantism ; Ultrasonography

Ectopic opening of the common bile duct (CBD) in the duodenal bulb is not an incidental finding, but a pathologic condition that can be associated with clinical entities, such as recurrent duodenal ulcer, choledocholithiasis. or cholangitis. We report a case of ectopic CBD with hematemesis in a 61 year-old male patient. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed several active ulcers with a fresh blood clot at the duodenal bulb, which had a mucosal deformity and a small opening with suspicious drainage of bile, and the second part of the duodenum had no papilla-like structure. MRCP showed a trident-like pancreatobiliary tree. The biliary tree was visualized via a suspicious ectopic opening of the bile duct at the duodenal bulb. The distal CBD looked hook-shaped and had no filling defect. We report a unique case of ectopic opening of the CBD in the duodenal bulb, which presented as hematemesis.
Bile ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangitis ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Drainage ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Male ; Ulcer

Biliary Papillomatosis is an extremely rare pathologic entity. Only about 40 cases of intrahepatic or diffuse intra- and extrahepatic papillomatosis have been described since the first report in 1959 by Caroli. Although this is a histologically benign lesion, its course is unfavaurable because of its tendency to extend to the entire biliary tract, high recurrence rate following local excision and the probability of progression to malignancy. We described herein a case of biliary papillomatosis associated with diffuse bile duct dilatation. The patient, a 59-year-old male, was admitted to our hospital because of right upper abdominal pain and weight loss. Cholangiogram revealed multiple round filling defects in common hepatic duct with intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. The patient underwent Whipple's operation with right lobectomy. Grossly, multiple small pin-head sized polypoid masses were seen in common bile duct, common hepatic duct and right intrahepatic duct. Microscapically, papillary epithelial hyperplasia with moderate cellular atypia was seen and there was no evidence of stromal invasion. He is healthy with a follow-up for 7 months.
Abdominal Pain ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract ; Common Bile Duct ; Dilatation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Papilloma* ; Recurrence ; Weight Loss

Cholangiocarcinoma is a form of adenocarcinoma arising from the intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary epithelium. Apparent predisposing factors include some chronic hepatobiliary parasitic infsttations, congenital anomalies with ectatic ducts, sclerosing cholangitis and chronic ulcerative colitis and occupational exposure to possible biliary tract carcinogens. Patients with cholangiocarcinoma usually present with biliary obstruction, painless jaundice, pruritus, weight loss and acholic stools. Because the obstructing process is gradua1, the cholangiocarcinoma is often far advanced by the time it presents clinically. The diagnosis is most frequently made by cholangiography following ultrasound demonstration of dilated intrahepatic bile ducts. We report a case of common bile duct cancer spreading to gallbladder and common hepatic duct along the biliary mucosal epitherium and submucosal tissue in 68-year-old female patient along with a review of literature.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract ; Carcinogens ; Causality ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiography ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Common Bile Duct* ; Diagnosis ; Epithelium ; Female ; Gallbladder* ; Hepatic Duct, Common* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Occupational Exposure ; Pruritus ; Ultrasonography ; Weight Loss

Intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNBs) are known to show various pathologic features and biological behaviors. Recently, two categories of IPNBs have been proposed based on their histologic similarities to pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs): type 1 IPNBs, which share many features with IPMNs; and type 2 IPNBs, which are variably different from IPMNs. The four IPNB subtypes were re-evaluated with respect to these two categories. Intestinal IPNBs showing a predominantly villous growth may correspond to type 1, while those showing papillay-tubular or papillay-villous growth correspond to type 2. Regarding gastric IPNB, those with regular foveolar structures with varying numbers of pyloric glands may correspond to type 1, while those with papillary-foveolar structures with gastric immunophenotypes and complicated structures may correspond to type 2. Pancreatobiliary IPNBs that show fine ramifying branching may be categorized as type 1, while others containing many complicated structures may be categorized as type 2. Oncocytic type, which displays solid growth or irregular papillary structures, may correspond to type 2, while papillary configurations with pseudostratified oncocytic lining cells correspond to type 1. Generally, type 1 IPNBs of any subtype develop in the intrahepatic bile ducts, while type 2 IPNBs develop in the extrahepatic bile duct. These findings suggest that IPNBs arising in the intrahepatic ducts are biliary counterparts of IPMNs, while those arising in the extrahepatic ducts display differences from prototypical IPMNs. The recognition of these two categories of IPNBs with reference to IPMNs and their anatomical location along the biliary tree may deepen our understanding of IPNBs.
Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Bile ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Gastric Mucosa ; Mucins

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate that sequential CT scans after oral contrast ingestion can show morphological and functional status of the biliary tree, especially for the gallbladder and assess whether the CT scans demonstrate other radiological informations than conventional oral cholecystography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty volunteers in third decades and eight patients with hepatobiliary disease were included for the study. CT scans were obtained 3, 6, 9, 12 hours after oral contrast ingestion and thirty minutes after fat meal in thiry volunteers. Conventional oral cholecystography was also obtained in all volunteers at 12 hours after oral contrast ingestion and after fat meal. We evaluate opacification of gallbladder, biliary tree, and duodenum by contrast media on CT scans and attenuation values of gallbladder, common hepatic duct and common bile duct in each artatomic area on CT and its sequential change. CT scans were performed 6 hours after oral contrast ingestion in eight patients with hepatobiliary disease. And gallbladder function was evaluated by opacification of gallbladder by contrast media in all patients. RESULTS: In thirty volunteers, opacified gallbladder by contrast media was seen in all cases in all sequential periods of time on CT scans, but in 22 cases on conventional oral cholecystography. Contrast-filled intrahepatic ducts were demonstrated in 3 cases at 3 hours after oral contrast ingestion and 11 cases at 6 hours and were not seen thereafter. Contrast-filled common hepatic duct was noted in 28, 18 and 4 cases respectively at 3, 6 and 9 hours after oral contrast ingestion and the CT attenuation values of common hepatic ducts had become progressively decreased. Contrast-filled common bile duct was noted in 28, 18 and 4 cases respectively at 3, 6 and 9 hours and the CT attenuation values of common bile ducts were not changed untill 9 hours but slightly increased at 12 hours. Contrast media was noted in 7, 5, 6 and 5 cases at 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours in cystic duct and 8, 3, 2, 5 cases in duodenum. Contrast-filled cystic duct and duodenum were noted in 24 cases and 19 cases respectively on CT scans after fat meal. The CT attenuation values of gallbladder were increased in sequential periods of time and the difference of density of gallbladder between 3 hours and 6 hours was statistically significant(p=0.0001). The CT attenuation values of gallbladder at 6 hours were heighter than that in 3 hours, statistically. Opacified gallbladder were noted in 2 cases of fatty liver(n=2), 1 case of alcoholic liver disease(n=1), in 1 case of liver cirrhosis(n=1). Patients of gallbladder stone(n=2) or hepatocellular carcinoma (n=2) had non-opacified gallbladder on CT scans. CONCLUSION: The CT scans after oral contrast ingestion can show the morphological and functional aspects of gallbladder better than conventional oral cholecystography and can also show biliary trees and other surrounding structures, so it is helpful method for assessment of not only gallbladder diseases but also other hepatobiliary diseases.
Alcoholics ; Bile Ducts* ; Bile* ; Biliary Tract ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cholecystography ; Common Bile Duct ; Contrast Media ; Cystic Duct ; Duodenum ; Eating* ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Gallbladder* ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Liver ; Meals ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Volunteers