The diagnosis of primary bile duct carcinoma (cholangiocarcinoma) in the jaundiced patient.

One hundred and ten patients with obstructive jaundice were investigated in the established manner; an initial abdominal ultrasonic B scan was followed by fine needles percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and/or endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). This yielded 15 cases of histologically proven primary bile duct carcinoma (cholangiocarcinoma), which is an incidence of 13.6%. Primary bile duct carcinoma is suggested on ultrasonic examination by: (i) Attenuation of the ultrasound beam in the bile duct area especially if the shadowing is multiple and/or from the intrahepatic ducts. (ii) Delineation of a mass associated with the bile ducts. (iii) A high level of duct obstruction with a normal pancreatic appearance. On direct cholangiography a stricture of the duct system which is branched, short, multiple or tapering also suggests primary bile duct malignancy. It is possible to diagnose primary bile duct carcinoma on ultrasonic examination alone once this condition is recognised as occurring with significant frequency. PTC and ERC aid delineation of the extent of the tumour and exclude biliary duct stone as the cause of jaundice.