ABSTRACT
A portal cavernoma is a network of porto-porto collateral dilated tortuous veins lying within the hepatoduodenal ligament, which develops as a sequel to portal vein obstruction. This can be the result of extra-hepatic portal vein obstruction from local extrinsic occlusion, or by a prothrombotic disorder, or both. A 56-year-old woman presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Examination and investigations revealed the presence of gallstones, a cavernous portal vein, several calcified hydatid cysts within the liver, grade III haemorrhoids, but no oesophageal varicosities. She had no previous abdominal surgery, and had normal full laboratory workup, including inflammatory markers, clotting analyses, and thrombophilia screen. At open surgery it became apparent that the portal cavernoma had been caused by local pressure from a calcified hydatid cyst of the caudate lobe of the liver. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of portal cavernoma caused by a hydatid cyst of the liver.
Subject(s)
Calcinosis/complications , Echinococcosis, Hepatic/complications , Hemangioma, Cavernous/etiology , Liver Neoplasms/etiology , Female , Hemangioma, Cavernous/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Middle Aged , Portography , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Metastatic melanoma to the common bile duct is very rare with only 18 cases reported so far. We report a 46 year old women who, 18 mo after excision of a skin melanoma, developed a painless progressive obstructive jaundice. At operation a melanoma within the distal third of the common bile duct was found. There were no other secondaries within the abdomen. The common bile duct, including the tumor, was resected and anastomosed with Roux-en-Y jejunal limb. The patient survived 31 mo without any sign of local recurrence and was submitted to three other operations for axillar and brain secondaries, from which she finally died. Radical resection of metastatic melanoma to the common bile duct may result in lifelong relief of obstructive jaundice. It is safe and relatively easy to perform. In other cases, a less aggressive approach, stenting or bypass procedures, should be adopted.
