Choledocolitiasis whith first diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. Case report

Abstract

Introduction: choledocholithiasis or choledocholithiasis is defined as the presence of stones in the extrahepatic biliary tract. Its diagnosis sometimes becomes complex due to the similarity of its clinical picture with other biliary pathologies, especially cholangiocarcinoma, which may lead to diagnostic errors. Objective: to describe the characteristics of a patient with choledocholithiasis who presented an initial diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. Case presentation: 75-year-old female patient, with apparent health history who began with diffuse abdominal pain predominantly in the epigastrium, radiating to the right hypochondrium and back, accompanied by fever, weight loss, nausea, decay and slight jaundice in skin and mucous membranes, for which she was admitted to the surgery department where a computed axial tomography was performed and cholangiocarcinoma and recurrent acute cholangitis were diagnosed. He was referred to the Institute of Gastroenterology for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography which resulted in a diagnosis of choledochal lithiasis. Conclusions: the case in question served to demonstrate the need to deepen the knowledge of choledocholithiasis, as well as to highlight the clinical manifestations and the results of the complementary tests performed in this case as a learning tool for health personnel; these constitute tools to differentiate choledocholithiasis from other pathologies of the biliary tract that can help in decision making in other patients.

Keywords

• coledocolitiasis
• conducto biliar común
• colangiocarcinoma
• colangiopancreatografía retrógrada endoscópica
• diagnóstico diferencial
• técnicas y procedimientos diagnósticos.