Recurrent cholangitis secondary to oriental cholangiohepatitis.

A Korean woman with a known mass in the left lobe of the liver and a normal gallbladder by ultrasound suffered recurrent cholangitis, which ultimately proved to be Oriental cholangiohepatitis. This disease, endemic to East Asia, has become widespread in the United States as immigration from that area has increased. The symptoms are identical to recurrent cholangitis associated with gallstones, but the natural history and definitive treatment are entirely different. The diagnosis should be suspected in patients with a history of parasitic infestation with Ascaris lumbricoides or Clonorchis sinensis or in those who have lived in an endemic area.