Intraductal mucosal-spreading mucin-producing peripheral cholangiocarcinoma of the liver

The computed tomographic (CT) appearance of a case of intraductal mucosal-s preading mucin-producing peripheral cholangiocarcinoma of the liver is desc ribed in a patient presenting with acute pericardial tamponade due to ruptu re of the cystically dilated left intrahepatic ducts by mucin hypersecretio n. CT showed cystic and tubular dilatation of the intrahepatic ducts of the left and caudate lobes, but there was no grossly visible tumor mass. Patho logy showed a single layer of tall columnar tumor cells with short intralum inal papillary projections lining each bile duct; the ducts were markedly d ilated because of excessive mucin secretion. There was no gross tumor mass in the bile ducts. The tumor spread diffusely and contiguously along the in trahepatic bile ducts, with minimal invasion to the bile duct wall. To our knowledge, there has been no report about mucosal-spreading peripheral chol angiocarcinoma of the liver.