[Increasing importance of biliary cysts (choleceles)].

Biliary cysts are connected with the biliary tract and primarily contain bile. Mostly this connection persists, which differentiates these cysts from all the others in this region. Therefore biliary cysts lead to a number of clinically serious complications such as calculi and abscess formation, cholangitis, cholestatic cirrhosis (possibly leading to portal hypertension or hepatoma), continuous enlargement of the cyst resulting in perforation into the abdominal cavity (and biliary peritonitis). The biliary cysts occur as a congenital-hereditary disease or develop because of an occlusion of hepatic artery branches. The congenital disease ist extremely rare. The secondary choleceles are caused by thrombo-embolic disorders (infarcts, periarteritis nodosa) or iatrogenically (ligations of vessels after traumatic liver rupture, embolization). Over the past years the secondary choleceles have gained in importance. Each case of cholecele should be diagnosed as early as possible. Though sonography and CT display cystic lesions excellently, differential diagnosis, however, remains difficult. The diagnosis is requested from the radiologist because therapeutic consequences are considerable.