[Diagnostic value of computed tomography for the detection of invasion of the caudate bile duct branch in carcinoma of the hepatic hilum].

The visualization of the caudate bile duct branch (B1) in computed tomography (CT-scan) with a high dose of contrast medium was evaluated in 71 patients with carcinoma of the liver, biliary tract and pancreas, preoperatively. The patients were classified into four groups: Group A, 22 patients (twelve hepatomas, six gall bladder cancers and four cancers of the pancreas body or tail) without abnormal findings in the biliary tract; Group B, two patients (cancer of the pancreas head and the common bile duct) with obstructive jaundice whose CT-scans were taken before percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage (PTCD); Group C, 22 patients (16 cancers of the pancreas head and six common bile duct cancers) whose CT-scans were taken after release of jaundice by PTCD; Group D, 25 patients with carcinoma of the hepatic hilum whose CT-scans were taken after release of jaundice by PTCD. The results were as follows. 1) In Group A, B1 was invisible in all the patients. 2) In Group B, B1 was clearly visible in all the patients. But in Group C, B1 was visible only in one patient. 3) In Group D, B1 was visible in 19 out of 25 patients and in 18 patients out of these 19 patients, cancer invasion toward B1 was histopathologically confirmed. In contrast, invasion was revealed only in one out of six patients whose B1s were invisible. From these results, it is concluded that in carcinoma of the hepatic hilum the visualization of B1 in CT-scan after release of jaundice by PTCD strongly suggests the cancer invasion on B1, and requests the caudate lobe resection.