Open AccessCholesterol polyps in the distal common bile duct
Author(s) -
Rui Tang,
Weigang Zhao,
Yanning Zhang,
Xuan Tong,
Jianwei Zeng
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000005374
Subject(s) - medicine , ursodeoxycholic acid , common bile duct , bile duct , cholecystectomy , radiology , magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography , gallbladder , gallstones , gastroenterology , endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography , pancreatitis
Rationale: Cholesterol polyps are rare in the common bile duct and difficult to diagnose. Patient concerns: The small polypoid lesions often go undetected when using routine imaging methods, such as ultrasonography. Diagnoses: We treated a patient with cholesterol polyps in the common bile duct. After failing to detect choleliths using ultrasonography, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed mild dilation of the common bile duct. Choledochoscopy was performed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which revealed yellowish-white polyps circumferentially distributed across the luminal surface of the distal common bile duct. Histological examination of biopsy specimens indicated cholesterol polyps with characteristic foamy cells. Interventions: The patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, and the number of polyps was found to have been reduced at the 6-week follow-up based on T-tube choledochoscopic examination. Outcomes: Recovery was unremarkable, and the ursodeoxycholic acid treatment was discontinued at the 6-month follow-up. Lessons subsections: Our findings suggest that this rare condition can be treated pharmacologically to avoid potential postsurgical complications following resection of the distal common bile duct.