Bile duct hamartomas(von Mayenburg complexes) mimicking liver metastases from bile duct cancer:MRC findings

We present a case of a 72-year-old man with acommon bile duct cancer,who was initially believedto have multiple liver metastases based on computedtomography findings,and in whom magneticresonance cholangiography(MRC)revealed adiagnosis of bile duct hamartomas.At exploration forpancreaticoduodenectomy,liver palpation revealeddisseminated nodules at the surface of the liver.Thesenodules showed gray-white nodular lesions of about 0.5cm in diameter scattered on the surface of both liverlobes,which were looked like multiple liver metastasesfrom bile duct cancer.Frozen section of the liver biopsydisclosed multiple bile ducts with slightly dilated lumensembedded in the collagenous stroma characteristicsof multiple bile duct hamartomas(BDHs).Only tworeports have described the MRC features of bile ducthamartomas.Of all imaging procedures,MRC providesthe most relevant features for the imaging diagnosis ofbile duct hamartomas.