CT diagnosis of the carcinoma of bile duct: an analysis of 46 cases

Abstract

Objective To investigate the CT diagnosis of patients with the carcinoma of bile duct. Methods The data of 46 patients who were treated with surgery, percutaneous puncture biopsy and pathologically confirmed to have the carcinoma of bile duct were collected, and the manifestations of CT plain scanning and dynamic enhancement scanning were retrospectively analyzed. Results The liver CT plain scanning of the carcinoma of intrahepatic bile duct was manifested as similar round and irregular low-density tumor, intrahepatic cholangiectasis was observed in 66.7%, and atrophy of liver lobe was observed in 41.7%; the enhancement scanning was manifested as mild enhancement of peripheral tumor at the arterial phase. The delayed scanning showed that as time elongated, the focus became enhanced gradually, especially that after 9 minutes, the intensities of all the loci were higher than those of normal liver parenchyma. The carcinoma of bile duct at hilus hepatis all displayed as intrahepatic cholangiectasis, and the forms appeared as vine. 21 patients were displayed as soft tissue tumors of hepatic hilar region. Another 3 patients were only displayed as the thickening, stenosis or discontinuation of bile duct wall, and could be accompanied by portal lymph node, the lymph node of posterior abdominal membrane, epoploon metastasis and abdominal dropsy. The carcinoma of extrahepatic biliary duct was manifested as intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiectasis, the augmentation of cholecyst, the sudden desection of common bile duct or irregular stenosis of common bile duct. Conclusion CT can clearly display the lesion of the carcinoma of bile duct, the degree of cholangiectasis, and the range of surrounding infiltration, and CT is very significant in detecting the carcinoma of bile duct at early period. Key words: Bile duct neoplasms; Tomography; X-ray computer; Diagnostic imaging