Importance of early diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary maljunction without biliary dilatation

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2012-07, Vol.18 (26), p.3409-3414
• Main Author: Kensuke Takuma, Terumi Kamisawa Taku Tabata Seiichi Hara Sawako Kuruma Yoshihiko Inaba Masanao Kurata Goro Honda Koji Tsuruta Shin-ichiro Horiguchi Yoshinori Igarashi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Bile Ducts - physiopathology; Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures; Brief; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde - methods; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance - methods; Endoscopy - methods; Female; Gallbladder - physiopathology; Gallbladder Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - diagnosis; Neoplasms - pathology; Pancreas - physiopathology; Pancreatic Diseases - physiopathology; Retrospective Studies; Ultrasonography - methods; 合流; 基因突变检测; 异常; 括约肌; 早期诊断; 最大直径; 病理检查; 胆管
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i26.3409

AIM：To clarify the strategy for early diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary maljunction（PBM） without biliary dilatation and to pathologically examine gallbladder before cancer develops.METHODS：The anatomy of the union of the pancreatic and bile ducts was assessed by using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography（ERCP）.Patients with a long common channel in which communication between the pancreatic and bile ducts was maintained even during sphincter contraction were diagnosed as having PBM.Of these,patients in which the maximal diameter of the bile duct was less than 10 mm were diagnosed with PBM without biliary dilatation.The process of diagnosing 54 patients with PBM without biliary dilatation was retrospectively investigated.Histopathological analysis of resected gallbladder specimens from 8 patients with PBM without biliary dilatation or cancer was conducted.RESULTS：Thirty-six PBM patients without biliary dilatation were diagnosed with gallbladder cancer after showing clinical symptoms such as abdominal or back pain（n = 16） or jaundice（n = 12）.Radical surgery for gallbladder cancer was only possible in 11 patients（31%） and only 4 patients（11%） survived for 5 years.Eight patients were suspected as having PBM without biliary dilatation from the finding of gallbladder wall thickening on ultrasound and the diagnosis was confirmed by ERCP and/or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography（MRCP）.The median age of these 8 patients was younger by a decade than PBM patients with gallbladder cancer.All 8 patients underwent prophylactic cholecystectomy and bile duct cancer has not occurred.Wall thickness and mucosal height of the 8 resected gallbladders were significantly greater than controls,and hyperplastic changes,hypertrophic muscular layer,subserosal fibrosis,and adenomyomatosis were detected in 7（88%）,5（63%）,7（88%） and 5（63%） patients,respectively.Ki-67 labeling index was high and K-ras mutation was detected in 3 of 6 patients.CONCLUSION：To detect PBM without biliary dilatation before onset of gallbladder cancer,we should perform MRCP for individuals showing increased gallbladder wall thickness on ultrasound.