Disappearing cyst of the hepatic hilum in uncorrectable biliary atresia

Abstract

A 2-month-old boy with biliary atresia (BA) with an extremely rare prenatal history is reported. A cystic lesion in the hepatic hilum was diagnosed during prenatal ultrasonography at 20 weeks' gestation. However, it disappeared during later prenatal observation. He was diagnosed with an uncorrectable type of BA after a massive subdural hemorrhage at the age of 66 days. A fetus suspected of having a cyst of the biliary tree should be followed even after the cyst has disappeared spontaneously.

Prenatally diagnosed biliary cysts: A spectrum from congenital biliary dilatation to biliary atresia from the same origin

“…CBD (Case 2) and I cyst BA may represent transitional stages between pure CBD (Case 1) and IIId BA. This hypothesis is supported by previous reports that CBD or I cyst BA progressed to IIId or to non‐cystic IIIν BA 3–7 ; moreover, a patent narrow segment connecting the pancreatic duct (i.e. pancreaticobiliary maljunction) was demonstrated in a I cyst BA case 8 .…”

Dysmorphic Gallbladder Found on Prenatal Ultrasound as a Hint for Biliary Atresia

“…31 b. Hepatic hilar cyst. [6][7][8]10,11,[14][15][16][17]30,31 c. Portosystemic derivations. 30 d. Seroperitoneum.…”

“…Several retrospective studies and case reports summarized the prenatal ultrasound findings of BA infants based on retrospective analysis of the prenatal images, most of which were linked with nonvisualization of the gallbladder or choledochal cyst. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] In our cases, dysmorphic gallbladders are the main features visible on prenatal ultrasound, and we also present integral follow-ups for the three cases, with an aim to raise awareness regarding the association between BA and dysmorphic gallbladders, and offer reference to clinical counseling applications.…”