Diagnostic dilemmas in biliary strictures mimicking cholangiocarcinoma.

A Principe, Giorgio Ercolani, Francesco Bassi, Ugo Paolucci, Andrea Raspadori, Paola Turi, Paolo Beltempo, Gian Luca Grazi, A. Cavallari

PubMed · 2004 · 19 citations · 0 references

Abstract

Precise preoperative evaluation of biliary structures can be very difficult when a tumor mass is absent. Despite the use of invasive procedures and new techniques such as magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, a false-positive rate of 4% may be expected. However, whenever a malignancy is not definitely excluded, biliary strictures should be treated as a cholangiocarcinoma.