Biliary papillomatosis: analysis of 18 cases

Biliary papillornatosis (BP) is an extremely rare pathological condition, which is characterized by papillary proliferation of the bile duct epithelia."(1-4) Although initially thought to be a benign entity, this tumor has been shown to have a tendency for malignant transformation.(4-6) As reported in the literature, malignant 5,7 degeneration occurs in 20% to 35% of cases.(5-7) Because patients typically present with abdorninal pain, obstructive jaundice and fever,(1,5,8) they are usually mistaken as having more serious pathology such as cholanglocarcinoma, cholangitis and so forth. In general, the rate of preoperative diagnosis is very low. At present, the number of published articles about this illness is limited, mainly as single case reports. In addition, the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of BP have not been well known. We, therefore, discuss age, gender, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approaches, histopathological findings, treatments and prognosis by reviewing the clinical data of eighteen patients with BP treated in our hospital, so as to better understand this rare illness.