[Cholangiocarcinoma associated with Caroli's disease]

Abstract

We report on an autopsy case of cholangiocarcinoma associated with Caroli's disease. A 38-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital suffering from epigastralgia. A diagnosis of Caroli's disease was made after CT, US, and ERCP testing. Because of diffuse intrahepatic bile duct dilatation, the patient was treated with antibioticus. In August 1985, her CA 19-9 level was 3,800 U/ml. This data suggested the development of a carcinoma secondary to Caroli's disease, but no tumor in the liver had been detected in the US and CT examinations. The patient died on February 1, 1986, of hepatorenal failure, approximately seven years after her first admission. An autopsy revealed diffuse dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct (Caroli's disease) with a cholangiocarcinoma.