Reoperation for amputation neuroma of the cystic duct

A late unusual complication after an open cholecystectomy: Amputation neuroma of the CBD causing obstructive jaundice

INTRODUCTION

Cholecystectomy is one of the most frequently done procedures in general surgery. There are few reports of amputation neuromas following this procedure. This presentation describes a case of obstructive jaundice due to amputation neuroma in a patient with a history of cholecystectomy.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report about a 53 y o lady who presented with obstructive jaundice, 8 years following open cholecystectomy. Paraclinical investigations were in favor of cholangicarcinoma, however the final pathology revealed an amputation neuroma of the CBD.

DISCUSSION

Amputation neuromas are rarely seen in the era of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. They are benign reparative lesions of the CBD following surgery or manipulation of the extra hepatic biliary tree. It is very difficult to diagnose them pre-operatively. Surgical resection is the first choice of treatment.

CONCLUSION

Traumatic neuromas should always be among the differential diagnosis, when assessing a CBD mass in patients with a previous history of open cholecystectomy or surgery to the gastrointestinal tract.

Neuroma of the bile duct: a late complication after cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION

Extrahepatic biliary obstruction with a mass in the common bile duct and elevated CA 19-9 level is often due to cholangiocarcinoma.

CASE REPORT

We present a case of a 71 year-old woman who presented with an extrahepatic biliary obstruction and a mass in the common bile duct 45 years after cholecystectomy. Pathologic analysis revealed a bile duct neuroma. We present the preoperative imaging, operative management, pathologic diagnosis, and literature review of this rare condition.

Extrahepatic bile duct stricture and elevated CA 19-9: malignant or benign?

Biliary obstruction due to a proximal bile duct stricture is commonly a result of cholangiocarcinoma. We describe a patient who began having intermittent episodes of jaundice 3 years after cholecystectomy. Despite endoscopic placement of a biliary stent and adequate biliary decompression, the serum CA 19-9 level remained elevated at 58 U/ml (normal <37 U/ml). Segmental bile duct resection and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy were done. The stricture was caused by a traumatic bile duct neuroma. Diagnostic and therapeutic considerations of this entity are discussed, with special emphasis on the value of noninvasive biliary imaging by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the utility and interpretation of the CA 19-9 level, and the role for resection or surgical biliary decompression.

Neuromas of the extrahepatic bile ducts as a cause of obstructive jaundice

We present four cases of extrahepatic bile duct neuromas causing obstructive jaundice. Two patients with neuromas localized in the hepatic duct had no evidence of gallstones or history of previous surgery. In these subjects, partial resection of the common bile duct and cholecystectomy was followed by hepatico-jejunostomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. In another patient, 7 years after cholecystectomy, a neuroma localized in the hepatic duct was treated by insertion of a T-tube. In the fourth patient, 9 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, partial common bile duct resection and Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy was performed. In all cases, the correct diagnosis of this very rare cause of extrahepatic bile duct obstruction was established postoperatively.

An Unusual Etiology of Biliary Hilar Obstruction and the Potential Role of Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor in the Development of a Biliary Neuroma

Neuroma of the biliary tract is a rare condition thought to be caused by trauma secondary to cholecystectomy. More rare is the occurrence that causes symptomatic biliary obstruction. A 65-year-old woman was hospitalized because of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and general malaise of 1 to 2 months duration. Cholecystectomy had been performed 40 years before. Ultrasound revealed hepatomegaly and dilated intrahepatic ducts. CT showed intra- and extrahepatic ductal dilatation with questionable intraductal mass. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography demonstrated stricture of the hepatic duct bifurcation. The biliary bifurcation was resected, and hepaticojejunostomy was performed. The patient's postoperative course was unremarkable. Histological examination of the surgical specimen revealed positive staining for the S-100 antigen of the obstructing luminal stricture (without evidence of cholangiocarcinoma), which was consistent with a biliary neuroma. Positive staining was also found for acidic (and not basic) fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and two of its high affinity receptors (FGFR-1 and FGFR-4). This study supports the apparent association between biliary neuromas and cholecystectomy as well as the potential role of an established angiogenic and neurogenic growth factor in the formation of this tumor. Finally, this case is also unique in that it represents the longest interval between cholecystectomy and presentation of a biliary neuroma, 40 years after surgery.

Amputation neuroma of the hepatic hilum after orthotopic liver transplantation

Amputation neuromas following biliary surgery have been previously reported. There are no descriptions, however, of amputation neuroma following liver transplantation. Serial hilum sections taken from 93 hepatectomy specimens obtained during the clinical course of 262 consecutive orthotopic liver transplantations revealed 26 amputation neuromas (27.9% of the specimens examined). The finding was confirmed by immunohistochemistry with numerous S-100 protein positive cells intermingled with neurofilaments interrupting the perineurial layer of cells testing positive for epithelial membrane antigen. Neuromas were found in liver specimens obtained between 89 and 775 days post-transplant (mean time, 211 days). The incidence of neuroma was higher in specimens resected more than 3 months post-transplant. There was only one symptomatic patient, who died from extrahepatic cholestasis demonstrated at autopsy to be caused by a hilar neuroma obstructing the main bile duct.

Traumatic neuroma of the bile ducts with intrahepatic extension causing obstructive jaundice

Most traumatic neuromas of the biliary tract occur in the cystic duct stump after cholecystectomy and produce no symptoms. The authors report the rare occurrence of traumatic neuroma of the bile ducts that arose from injury to the duct occurring during cholecystectomy. The neuroma blocked the common hepatic duct and extended into the left hepatic duct, causing obstructive jaundice. The pseudotumor was removed from the common hepatic duct, but intrahepatic extension prevented complete removal. The patient remains well ten years after the surgical procedure.