Abstract
Hilar cholangiocarcinoma usually appears on CT scans as a low-density or isodense mass that abruptly obstructs converging dilated bile ducts. In four of six patients with histopathologically proved hilar cholangiocarcinoma who had late enhanced CT 8-15 min after dynamic CT, the lesion was seen as a high-density mass instead of the low-density lesion seen earlier on unenhanced and dynamic CT scans. The other two patients had ring enhancement with evidence of a thickened wall of the bile duct both on early and late enhanced CT scans. In the first four patients, carcinoma invaded the neighboring hepatic parenchyma and produced a mass, whereas in the last two, carcinoma was localized in the wall of the bile duct. Histopathologically, all lesions consisted of adenocarcinoma associated with a dense fibrotic tissue. As late enhanced CT shows hilar cholangiocarcinoma as a high-density mass, the exact location of the tumor and its relation to neighboring vessels can be determined, especially in relatively small tumors, and differentiation from sclerosing cholangitis is possible.
Published Version
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