Tuberculous common bile duct stricture mimicking a cholangiocarcinoma: A case report

Abstract

Biliary involvement during abdominal tuberculosis is extremely uncommon and represents a challenging diagnosis that can easily be mistaken for a malignant etiology. We report the case of a 40 years old male who presented with anorexia, chronic abdominal pain, and progressive obstructive jaundice. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated distal narrowing with wall thickening of the main biliary duct, along with enlarged lymph nodes and signs of portal hypertension. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging showed a long distal biliary stricture, suggestive of malignancy, with dilated intrahepatic radicles. The diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was initially suggested. However, given his young age and other imaging findings, the patient underwent laparoscopic biopsy which revealed epithelioid cell granuloma with caseating necrosis consistent with tuberculous origin.

Keywords

• Biliary stricture
• Biliary tuberculosis
• Obstructive jaundice