Caroli's disease (CD) is defined as the segmental dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts, which is generally diffuse throughout the liver, but may occasionally involve a single lobe, most commonly the left.1 We report the case of a 78-year-old male with recurrent cholangitis due to left monolobar CD. A preoperative diagnosis was made using MR cholangiography and the patient underwent a left hepatectomy. Macroscopic examination of the resected specimen revealed cystic dilatations of the intrahepatic bile ducts and intrahepatic lithiasis. Histologically, there was no evidence of malignancy. Liver resection is the treatment of choice for localized forms of CD, eliminating the potential for cholangiocarcinoma.
Figure 1.
Operative view: Cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts in the left lobe with intrahepatic lithiasis (arrow)
REFERENCE
- 1.Caroli J, Couinaud C. Une affection nouvelle, sans doute congénitale des voies biliaires – la dilatation kystique unilobaire des canaux hépatiques. Sem Hôp Paris. 1958;34:136–142. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]