A 31 year old man was hospitalised with general fatigue and epigastric pain. Abdominalultrasonography, computedtomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion in the left lobe ofthe liver. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography revealed a localised dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct without any obstruction. However, a large mass of mucinous material was noted in the saccular intrahepatic duct and the common bile duct. There was no evidence of a choledochal cyst, anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union, or congenital cystic change of the kidneys. A possible diagnosis ofmucinous cystic neoplasm of the intrahepatic bile duct was made and a left hepatectomy performed. Cholangiography of the resected specimen showed a non-obstructive solitary cystic dilatation of the left hepatic duct. Histologically, the dilated duct was lined with columnar biliary epithelium without any papillary proliferation and/or atypia. Neither malignancy nor hepatic fibrosis was observed; the term "solitary cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct" perhaps is more descriptive and the concept easier to understand. (7 Clin Pathol 1997;50:617-618) presented with neither a pertinent family history nor a personal history of blood transfusion, tattooing, or drug abuse. On physical examination, there was a slight tenderness in the epigastrium and right hypochondrium, and the liver was slightly enlarged. Results of liver function tests were: total bilirubin, 2.1 mg/l (normal value 0.2-1.0); alkaline phosphate, 127 IU/l (28-84); 7 glutamyltranspeptidase 314 IU/l (4-30); aspartate aminotransferase 117 IU/l (7-20); and alanine aminotransferase 425 IU/l (7-28). Virus markers were negative for hepatitis A, B, and C. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion in the left lobe of the liver. Choledochal cysts and anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union were not demonstrated on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography revealed a localised dilatation of the left intrahepatic bile duct. There was a large mass of mucinous material in the saccular intrahepatic bile ducts and the common bile duct. Under the diagnosis of a possible mucinous cystic neoplasm of the intrahepatic bile duct, we performed a left hepatectomy. A cholangiogram of the resected specimen showed a solitary cystic dilatation of the left hepatic duct (fig 1). Histologically, the

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