Open Access Case Report

Intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of bile ducts radiologic and pathologic features: a case report

Gianpaolo Carrafiello1*, Elena Bertolotti1, Fausto Sessa2, Tamara Cafaro1, Gianlorenzo Dionigi3, Eugenio Genovese1, Renzo Dionigi3 and Carlo Fugazzola1

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Insubria, Viale Borri 57, 21100 Varese, Italy

2 Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Insubria, Via O. Rossi 9, 21100 Varese, Italy

3 Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Insubria, Viale Borri 57, 21100 Varese, Italy

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Cases Journal 2008, 1:319 doi:10.1186/1757-1626-1-319

Published: 17 November 2008

Abstract

We report a case of a 67-year-old Caucasian man with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. He underwent radiologic investigations that revealed a solid, focal mass, at the V hepatic segment. Because a definitive diagnosis, based on imaging appearance of the lesion, was impossible in our case, we performed a hystopathological investigation but the biopsies were inconclusive. So, the definitive diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of bile ducts was made on surgical resected material.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the liver (IPNL) is a recently recognized entity which closely resembles an intraductal papillary mucinous tumor (IPMT) of the pancreas.