CONGENITAL CHOLEDOCHAL CYST IN A TODDLER – CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Congenital choledochal cysts are more frequently diagnosed in children under the age of 10, occurring prevailingly in female patients. We are presenting a case of choledochal cyst in a 7-month-old male baby, which had a sudden onset with scleral-cutaneous jaundice and lack of appetite. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a transonic, hyperreflective formation located in the topography of the main bile duct, dilated intrahepatic bile ducts, and laboratory tests revealed a severe syndrome of hepatic cytolysis and cholestasis. The diagnosis was confirmed using cholangiopancreatic MRI performed in an emergency regime and required surgical intervention. Therefore, the differential diagnosis of cholestasis syndromes must rule out choledochal cyst irrespective of the patient’s age due to the complications and risk of malignization.

Keywords

• choledochal cyst
• jaundice
• cholestasis