Choledochus means “of or relating to the common bile duct”. Common bile duct cysts are rare and congenital, with unknown causes. They can be intrahepatic or extrahepatic and have five different types. They can cause symptoms and potential risks, and are often treated with surgery.
Choledochus means “of or relating to the common bile duct”. It comes from the Greek words chole meaning “bile” and dochus meaning “containing”. The common bile duct is the route by which bile, which aids in digestion, flows from the liver, where it is produced, to the pancreas and from there to the duodenum. Connecting the common bile duct to the liver are the right and left hepatic ducts. A common bile duct cyst is a cyst that occurs somewhere in the bile duct.
Common bile duct cysts are congenital, meaning they are present at birth and are rare. The cause is unknown. A common bile duct cyst can be intrahepatic, which occurs within the bile duct within the liver, or extrahepatic, which occurs in the portion of the bile duct outside the liver.
Common bile duct cysts have five different types, of which the most common is a cystic dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct. About half of the cases involving a common bile duct cyst are of this type. The next three most frequent types of cysts differ in their location. One is found as a pouch opening from the extrahepatic bile duct, one is a cyst found within the duodenal wall, and one involves cysts in both the intrahepatic and extrahepatic ducts. The least common type of common bile duct cyst in Caroli disease, characterized by multiple intrahepatic cysts that cluster in clusters.
Common bile duct cysts occur most often in Japan. They are more common in females than males, but in the West they are seen in only 1 in 100,000 to 150,000 people. Often, people aren’t diagnosed until they are adults, even though ultrasound can be diagnosed before birth.
If the diagnosis is not made early, a child may have symptoms. These can include generalized symptoms such as fever and nausea, which could be indicative of many things. Pancreatitis, jaundice, an abdominal mass, or pain around the liver are more specific, but a definite diagnosis must be made by a doctor.
The liver in an adult is normally three pounds (1.36 kg). Common bile duct cysts fill with bile and can eventually grow to contain one to two quarts (95-1.89 liters). Since water weighs just over two pounds/quart (91 kg/litre), we can assume that the cysts could eventually weigh more than the liver itself.
There are several potential risks of having a common bile duct cyst. The cyst can block the flow of bile and cause jaundice or cirrhosis. The cells lining the cyst may have precancerous changes. This can increase the person’s chance of developing gallbladder cancer. A common bile duct cyst is often treated with surgery.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
