Tuberculous lymphadenitis as a cause of obstructive jaundice： A case report and literature review

Obstructive jaundice secondary to tuberculosis （TB） is extremely rare. It can be caused by TB enlargement of the head of the pancreas, TB lymphadenitis, TB stricture of the biliary tree, or a TB mass of the retroperitoneum. A 29-year-old man with no previous history of TB presented with abdominal pain, obstructive jaundice, malaise and weight loss. Ultrasonography （US）, computer tomography （CT） scan and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography （ERCP） were suggestive of a stenosis of the distal common bile duct （CBD） caused by a mass in the posterior head of the pancreas. Tumor markers, CEA and CA19-9 were within normal limits. At operation, an enlarged, centrally caseous lymph node of the posterior head of the pancreas was found, causing inflammatory stenosis and a fistula with the distal CBD. The lymph node was removed and the bile duct resected and anastomosed with the Roux-en Y jejunal limb. Histology and PCR based-assay confirmed tuberculous lymphadenitis. After an uneventful postoperative recovery, the patient was treated with anti-tuberculous medication and remained well 2.5 years later. Though obstructive jaundice secondary to tuberculous lymphadenitis is rare, abdominal TB should be considered as a differential diagnosis in immunocompromised patients and in TB endemic areas. Any stenosis or fistulation into the CBD should also be taken into consideration, and biliary bypass surgery be performed to both relieve jaundice and prevent further stricture.     

Cystadenoma of the gallbladder

A case of obstructive jaundice due to extrinsic common bile duct (CBD) pressure from a gallbladder mass is presented. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) demonstrated a dilated CBD and a massively dilated gallbladder. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a multiseptated cystic structure originating from the gallbladder fossa. Histologic sections of the surgical specimen demonstrated a multilocular cyst lined with biliary-type epithelium. Fibromuscular proliferation of the cyst walls also was noted. A literature search did not reveal documentation of a similar gallbladder lesion. We believe this lesion represents the first reported case of gallbladder cystadenoma.     

Amputation neuroma after cholecystectomy. A cause of intermittent obstructive jaundice

A 43-year-old woman developed recurrent attacks of intermittent obstructive jaundice 5 years after cholecystectomy. After 6 years of recurrent attacks, an obstructive lesion was finally demonstrated, and was diagnosed at surgery as an amputation (traumatic) neuroma of the midcommon bile duct (CBD). Symptoms disappeared following surgical removal of the lesion. We review the clinical picture of this relatively rare problem, along with its diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment.     

Benign nontraumatic inflammatory stricture of mid portion of common bile duct mimicking malignant tumor： Report of two cases

Benign nontraumatic inflammatory stricture of the common bile duct (CBD) may result in obstructive jaundice, which can be misdiagnosed as a malignant tumor of the CBD preoperatively. Two cases with strictures of the mid portion of the common bile duct presenting with obstructive jaundice are reported herein. Preoperative radiological studies prompted us to confidently make the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. However, the postoperative diagnosis on histological examination of the resected lesions was chronic inflammation and fibrosis. The complications of chronic duodenal ulcer are considered as the etiology of these two disorders.     

梗阻性黄疸肝再生受损机制的研究进展

肝脏具有惊人的再生能力.然而,部分肝门胆管癌患者术前所出现的梗阻性黄疸将会影响到术后的肝再生,甚至引起肝衰竭.从某种意义而言,梗阻性黄疸患者肝再生的受损程度将决定着是否可以进行外科手术治疗.目前,研究者对梗阻性黄疸肝再生受损机制已经进行了大量的研究.研究结果表明,肝再生受损机制主要包括:(1)门静脉血流量减少;(2)肝细胞凋亡率增加;(3)肝再生相关因子表达的变化.因此,调节上述因素将有可能改善梗阻性黄疸患者术后的肝再生.     

恶性梗阻性黄疸的外科姑息治疗进展

梗阻性黄疸分为良性及恶性。恶性梗阻性黄疸由于起病隐匿,初诊时多已丧失根治术机会,因此外科姑息性治疗对于晚期恶性梗阻性黄疸患者尤为重要。本文就当前恶性梗阻性黄疸的各种外科姑息性治疗作一阐述。选择合适的外科姑息性治疗方式对晚期恶性梗阻性黄疸患者有重要意义。     

低位梗阻性黄疸的影像与内镜诊断价值探讨

目的探讨影像与内镜检查在低位梗阻性黄疸中的诊断价值及科学组合与合理应用。方法回顾分析57例低位梗阻性黄疸患者的病因及体表超声（US）、cT、MRI＋MRCP、ERCP和EUS等诊断结果,总结各检查方法在低位梗阻性黄疸诊断中的适应证和诊断价值。结果57例低位梗阻性黄疸患者中,良性梗阻42例,其中胆总管结石38例,胆总管蛔虫1例,胆道术后良性狭窄2例,胰头部慢性胰腺炎1例;恶性梗阻15例,其中胰头癌11例,壶腹癌4例。US、CT、MRI＋MRCP、ERCP、EUS对低位梗阻性黄疸的定位诊断准确率分别为71．93％（41／57）、88．00％（22／25）、94．59％（35／37）、100．00％（47／47）、96．77％（30／31）;定性诊断准确率分别为63．16％（36／57）、80．00％（20／25）、83．78％（31／37）、100．00％（47／47）、96．77％（30／31）。结论良性病变是低位梗阻性黄疸的主要原因,但恶性病变并不少见,影像或内镜检查对于明确诊断至关重要,策略性、程序性选择应用各种检查方法,尤为必要。     

Accuracy of abdominal ultrasonography and the role of a second investigation in surgical obstructive jaundice

The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) was evaluated in delineating the site and cause of biliary obstruction in 59 patients of surgical obstructive jaundice (SOJ). A final analysis of the ultrasonographic data was carried out in 42 patients on whom laparotomy or endoscopic papillotomy with removal of common bile duct stones, confirmed the diagnosis. Evaluation of the role of second investigation following ultrasound in 28 patients (side-viewing endoscopy in 13, ERCP in 12 and PTC in 3) was also done to determine whether they provide any additional information over ultrasonography in delineating the exact level and etiology of biliary obstruction. US was done by the clinician who interpreted the findings in conjunction with the clinical profile of the patient. US correctly diagnosed SOJ in all 42 patients. In 26 of the 28 patients with distal CBD block (specificity 87.5%; sensitivity 100%) and in 14 out of 16 patients with proximal CBD block (specificity 100%; sensitivity 87.5%) US provided and accurate diagnosis of the site of obstruction. US was correct in diagnosing a malignant etiology in 26 out of 27 malignant cases whereas it accurately indentified the benign nature of biliary obstruction in 14 of the 15 patients of SOJ due to benign obstruction (specificity and sensitivity range 93.3% to 96.3%). A second investigation could correctly change the etiology and site of biliary obstruction in only 5 patients (17.9%) whereas in the remaining 23 patients (82.1%) it did not add any additional information over the US findings. Six out of fifteen patients (40%) who underwent cholangiography had cholangitis and in one severe septicemia led to death.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Excision of a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum causing biliary obstruction: report of three cases

We report three cases of biliary obstruction caused by a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum that were treated by excision of the diverticulum. A 72-year-old man, a 77-year-old woman, and an 81-year-old woman each presented with recurrent obstructive jaundice. Diagnostic imaging revealed a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum compressing the common bile duct (CBD). Following cholecystectomy, the diverticulum between the intrapancreatic CBD and pancreatic parenchyma was isolated and excised successfully in each case. The patients have been followed up for 34, 31, and 22 months, respectively. In one patient, choledocholithiasis developed 33 months after the surgery, necessitating endoscopic sphincterotomy. Duodenal diverticulectomy is a useful procedure to relieve biliary obstruction caused by a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum. However, it remains unclear whether excision of the diverticulum is preferred to biliodigestive anastomosis from the point of view of long-term prognosis. Subsequent surveillance is necessary.     

Imaging diagnosis of obstructive jaundice

In the past, before the development of biochemical tests for serum enzymes, differentiation between obstructive (surgical) and parenchymal (medical) jaundice was difficult. It was based mainly on patient history, physical examination and the experience of the physician, and the definitive diagnosis depended on surgical exploration. Even with known serum aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase levels, a distinction between the two types of jaundice was not always certain. Then came the era of new imaging techniques. With the development of direct cholangiography followed by x-ray CT and real-time ultrasonography (US), differential diagnosis of surgical and medical jaundice is no longer a problem. In the clinical setting, the current issue is how quickly and how less invasively the diagnosis could be made. In this chapter, current imaging diagnosis in patients with obstructive jaundice will be discussed, along with its differentiation from medical jaundice.     

Obstructive jaundice, bacterial translocation and interdigestive small-bowel motility in rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Translocation of gut bacteria occurs in obstructive jaundice, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We designed this experimental study to investigate the association between interdigestive motility and the pathogenesis of bacterial translocation during biliary obstruction. METHODS: Rats were fitted with jejunal myoelectrodes for the measurement of the interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) and with two cannulas in the proximal common bile duct (CBD) for exteriorization of biliary flow. This allowed measurement of MMCs under control conditions with an intact enterohepatic circulation and during 3 days of CBD obstruction without surgical intervention. Mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen and segments of the duodenum, the jejunum and the caecum were removed for microbial culturing. RESULTS: The MMC cycle length increased from 17.3 min before CBD obstruction to 31.9, 34.1, and 25.3 min on days 1, 2 and 3, respectively, after CBD obstruction (p < 0.05 for all days). Bacterial levels in the jejunum were significantly higher in CBD-obstructed rats than in control rats. The translocation incidence was significantly higher in rats with CBD obstruction (6/8) than in control rats (1/8). The bacterial levels in the jejunum correlated significantly with the MMC cycle length (r = 0.60, p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Experimental biliary obstruction is associated with disturbance of MMCs, small-bowel bacterial overgrowth and increased bacterial translocation.     

Relation between bile acids and myocardial damage in obstructive jaundice

AIM: To investigate the morphologic changes of the myocardium and its relationship to serum bile acids in obstructive jaundice.METHODS: Part 1: 35 rats were randomly assigned to three groups: Group I (BDL1, n = 11), the common bile duct (CBD) was ligated and severed and mice were then sacrificed after one week. Group I (BDL2, n = 11), the CBD was ligated and severed and mice were then killed after two weeks. Group I (SO, n = 13), the CBD was isolated. Hearts were collected for morphologic studies and blood was taken to determine the total serum bile acids (TAB). Part 2: 13 rats received gastric intubation of 10% 4 mL/kg sodium cholate. Their serum TBA and the heart’s morphologic changes were then examined.RESULTS: One to two weeks after the CBD was ligated and severed, damage was evident in the mitochondria within the myocardium and the serum TBA was significantly increased. When rats were administered sodium cholate to make their peak blood concentration mimic the average blood concentration in BDL2, a similar degree of myocardial damage was observed.CONCLUSION: An increase in endogenous bile acids is one causative factor of myocardial damage in obstructive jaundice.     

Tuberculosis of the bile duct: a rare cause of obstructive jaundice.

Tuberculosis of the bile duct is extremely rare. Patients with this condition usually present with a protracted illness and obstructive jaundice, which may be confused with hepatobiliary malignancies. A retrospective review of hospital records of patients who presented with tuberculosis of the bile duct between January 1986 and December 1996 was undertaken, and data were obtained concerning clinical presentation, investigations, treatment, and follow-up. Four patients (one man and three women) with a mean age of 44.8 years had tuberculosis of the bile duct. Diagnostic imaging techniques showed bile duct dilation in all four patients. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) showed a stricture in the proximal common bile duct (CBD) in one patient, a stricture in the distal CBD in one patient, a stricture in the common hepatic duct (CHD) in one patient, and multiple strictures in the CHD and left intrahepatic duct in one patient. Bile cytology and fine-needle aspiration identified correctly the diagnosis in each patient. Two patients underwent laparotomy with the initial suspicion of cholangiocarcinoma; the correct diagnosis was made based on frozen sections taken intraoperatively. One patient was treated with endoscopic stenting and three patients underwent laparotomy for bile duct obstruction. All patients received antituberculous therapy. There were no deaths; all patients remained healthy at a mean follow-up of 36.5 months. It is important to obtain a tissue diagnosis in all patients with obstructive jaundice to avoid missing this rare but curable disease. The treatment of tuberculosis of the bile duct involves relief of the bile duct obstruction and antituberculous therapy.     

Polyps of the biliary tract: is their preoperative diagnosis possible?

Bile duct polyps are a very uncommon cause of obstructive jaundice. We present our experience of three patients diagnosed in the last 10 years. Initial presentation usually takes the form of obstructive jaundice associated with abdominal pain, which simulates biliary lithiasis. The diagnosis is usually surgical. Although in some cases radiological studies and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may sometimes detect bile duct polyps, exact diagnosis before surgery is very unusual. The radiological signs that suggest the existence of a bile duct polyp in the ERCP seem to be the presence of repletion defects, fixed unilaterally to the biliary conduit, without meniscus and without circumferential stenosis of the affected conduit. The most frequently found polyps are fibroinflammatory, and less frequently adenomatous.     

Ruptured hydatid cyst of the liver with biliary obstruction: presentation of a case and review of the literature

The case of a 66 year old woman admitted with a picture of jaundice acute cholangitis is reported. Ultrasonography showed a dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts, gallbladder hydrops with several stones, enlarged common bile duct (CBD) with hyperechoic material inside and a cystic tumor with hydatid features. With a strong suspicion of a hydatid cyst ruptured in the biliary tree with biliary obstruction, endoscopic cholangiopancreatography was performed. The diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and the hydatid membranes were extracted from the CBD with subsequent clinical improvement. The second step of treatment comprised the surgical cure of the cyst and cholecystectomy. The data from the literature are finally presented with a special emphasis on the ultrasound diagnosis and the endoscopic treatment.     

A case of percutaneous and transpapillary placements of expandable metallic stents in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma at the hilum of the liver

A 76-year-old woman was admitted with obstructive jaundice. US and MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed an inoperative cholangiocarcinoma, 3 cm in diameter at the hilum of the liver, the obstruction of the hepatic duct bifurcation and the separation of bilateral hepatic bile ducts. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was performed from bilateral hepatic bile ducts. The right PTBD tube was spontaneously extubated. We could not succeed in performing internal biliary drainage across the hilar malignant stricture from a left hepatic bile duct, because of bad angulation. Transpapillary insertion into the common bile duct (CBD) was extremely difficult due to the collapse of the CBD. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) after precutting method was performed. Although we performed the ballooned dilatation of malignant stricture and the insertion of a self-expandable metallic stent (EMS) into a right hepatic bile duct transpapillary. After dilatation of the hilar malignant stricture by the initial EMS, we inserted a guidewire into the CBD through the wire mesh of a stent from the left PTBD tube. We could insert the second EMS from a left hepatic bile duct to the CBD transhepatically, using a dilator and a dilating balloon. Finally, we performed the ballooned dilatation from bilateral hepatic bile ducts to the CBD transpapillary. She was discharged after bilateral internal biliary drainages, successfully.     

Obstructive jaundice impairs hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell function and renders liver susceptible to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obstructive jaundice is associated with increased surgical morbidity and mortality. While parenchymal injury has been defined in obstructive jaundice, the pathogenesis of hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell injury in obstructive jaundice is unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell injury in obstructive jaundice by determining serum hyaluronic acid levels, purine nucleoside phosphorylase/alanine aminotransferase ratios, and hyaluronic acid elimination rate, and also to determine whether hepatic parenchymal cell injury in obstructive jaundice is induced more than in normal liver after hepatic ischemia/reperfusion. METHODS: Male Wistar rats underwent ligation and division of the common bile duct (obstructive jaundice group) or sham operation (Sham group). Serum hyaluronic acid levels and purine nucleoside phosphorylase/alanine aminotransferase ratios in both groups were examined at intervals up to 21 days after surgery. Hepatic blood flow, permeability, neutrophil accumulation, and hyaluronic acid elimination rates in both groups were measured 14 days after surgery. Changes in serum hyaluronic acid and alanine aminotransferase concentrations were determined after 15 min of hepatic ischemia followed by reperfusion. RESULTS: Serum hyaluronic acid levels remained elevated after bile duct ligation. Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell swelling was observed by electron microscopy, and hepatic permeability was increased 14 days after bile duct ligation in association with neutrophil accumulation. Hepatic blood flow in obstructive jaundice remained unchanged, but hyaluronic acid elimination capacity was less than that in the Sham group. After hepatic reperfusion, the disappearance rate of serum hyaluronic acid in obstructive jaundice was lower, and serum alanine aminotransferase levels were higher than those in the Sham group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that obstructive jaundice impairs sinusoidal endothelial cells and that sinusoidal endothelial cell damage in association with sinusoidal deterioration during obstructive jaundice renders liver susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion relative to normal liver.     

Autoimmune pancreatitis in a patient presenting with obstructive jaundice and pancreatic mass

BackgroundAutoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare cause of chronic pancreatitis.Case outlineA case of obstructive jaundice with pancreatic mass mimicking malignancy is described.DiscussionRecognition of the disease by its typical radiological and serological findings permits trial of steroid therapy and may avoid resection.     

Metastatic carcinoma of the breast: a cause of obstructive jaundice

Two cases of jaundice are reported that were secondary to obstruction of the common bile duct by metastatic carcinoma of the breast and relieved by pallieative surgery. In one case, obstructive jaundice was the first evidence of spread beyond regional lymph nodes, in the other patient it was a late manifestation of the disease. In patients with prior history of carcinoma of the breast, jaundice may be secondary to obstruction of the common bile duct, and, because it is amenable to palliation, this possibility should be investigated before concluding that extensive hepatic involvement is the cause of jaundice.     

Differential diagnosis of jaundice: a pocket diagnostic chart

Based on extensive clinical and clinical chemical information (107 different items) from 1002 jaundiced patients, we developed a diagnostic algorithm which was evaluated on a test sample of another 110 jaundiced patients. A primary classification into categories of obstructive jaundice (probability of obstruction greater than or equal to 0.80), non-obstructive jaundice (probability of obstruction less than or equal to 0.20), and of doubtful causes of jaundice (probability of obstruction: 0.20-0.80) was attempted. Among 234 patients in the data base who were classified as obstructive, 220 (94%) proved to be so, as did 36 (97%) of 37 in the test sample. The corresponding figures for non-obstructive jaundice were 463 (96%) of 483 patients correctly classified in the data base and 47 (92%) of 51 patients in the test sample. Altogether 69% of the patients in the data base and 75% of those in the test sample were correctly classified, in 27% and 20% the cause of jaundice was doubtful, and only 4% and 5%, respectively, were misclassified. A slight majority of the patients in whom the algorithmic diagnoses were doubtful proved obstructive. A close correlation was found between the preliminary diagnoses made by the algorithm and by the clinicians. A secondary classification of the patients by the algorithm into benign versus malignant causes of obstructive jaundice performed equally well in the data base and the test sample.