Silent pancreatic pseudocyst. An unusual cause of extrahepatic biliary obstruction

Extrahepatic biliary obstruction due to mechanical obstruction of the common bile duct is a relatively rare complication of pancreatic pseudocyst. When jaundice does occur, clinical or laboratory evidence of associated primary hepatobiliary disease or acute pancreatitis has invariably been present....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of digestive diseases 1975-06, Vol.20 (6), p.583-587
Main Authors: Falko, J M, Mekhjian, H S, Thomas, F B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cholangiography
Cholestasis - etiology
Common Bile Duct
Diagnosis, Differential
Erythrocyte Count
Female
Humans
Laparotomy
Leukocyte Count
Pancreatic Cyst - complications
Pancreatic Cyst - diagnosis
Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnosis
Pancreatitis
Radioisotopes
Radionuclide Imaging
Selenium
Technetium
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Summary:Extrahepatic biliary obstruction due to mechanical obstruction of the common bile duct is a relatively rare complication of pancreatic pseudocyst. When jaundice does occur, clinical or laboratory evidence of associated primary hepatobiliary disease or acute pancreatitis has invariably been present. The patient described had a 3-month history of painless juandice, 40-lb weight loss, pruritus, and hepatomegaly, but no clinical or biochemical evidence of acute or chronic pancreatitis. After initial evaluation, including an abdominal echogram and a transhepatic cholangiogram, carcinoma of the head of the pancreas was diagnosed preoperatively. At laparotomy, a small pancreatic pseudocyst obstructed the terminal portion of the common bile duct. This case illustrates that a pancreatic pseudocyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice, even in the absence of clinical evidence of pancreatitis or pseudocyst formation.
ISSN:0002-9211
1573-2568
DOI:10.1007/BF01074942