Bile duct dilatation can be harmful and needs prompt treatment

The causes of bile duct dilatation can be divided into congenital and acquired. The congenital one is usually caused by inflammation in the embryo or mother, and the newborn may have yellowing sclera. The incidence rate is relatively high among adolescents and children, and may manifest as abdominal pain, jaundice, and lumps may also be found during B-ultrasound examination. Bile duct dilatation has a great impact on the growth and development of children and may also induce biliary cirrhosis and even cancer, so it needs timely treatment.

What are the complications of bile duct dilatation?

The poor bile drainage or even obstruction caused by the cystic dilatation of the lesion and the relative stenosis of the distal bile duct is the root cause of complications. The main complications are

1. Recurrent ascending cholangitis

2. Biliary cirrhosis

3. Bile duct perforation or rupture

4. Recurrent pancreatitis

5. Stone formation and tube wall cancer

If the use of antispasmodics and antibiotics to relieve symptoms of bile duct dilatation is ineffective, surgical treatment is recommended. The main treatments are:

1. External drainage

It is used in individual severe cases, such as severe obstructive jaundice with cirrhosis, severe biliary tract infection, and spontaneous bile duct perforation, and secondary treatment will be carried out after the condition improves.

2. Internal drainage between cyst and intestine

For example, cystoduodenal anastomosis has many complications, such as repeated attacks of cholangitis, anastomotic stenosis, and stone formation. Later, cystojejunal Roux-en-Y anastomosis was adopted, and various types of anti-reflux operations were designed on the intestinal flap. However, the problem of pancreaticobiliary confluence still exists, so symptoms of cholangitis or pancreatitis may still occur after surgery, and even another surgery may be needed. There have been many reports of cyst wall cancer after surgery. Therefore, it is rarely used nowadays.

3. Biliary reconstruction with resection of dilated bile duct

In recent years, the radical resection of the dilated bile duct and bile duct reconstruction have been advocated to achieve the purpose of removing the lesion and achieving pancreaticobiliary shunting. Physiological biliary reconstruction can be used to place the jejunum between the hepatic duct and the duodenum, or to add an anti-reflux valve, or to use hepatic duct-jejunal Roux-en-Y anastomosis, hepatic duct-duodenal anastomosis, etc., all of which can achieve good results. The main thing is that the anastomosis must be large enough to ensure adequate bile drainage.

Warm reminder: Patients with bile duct dilatation should receive scientific treatment under the guidance of a doctor based on their symptoms. Do not reject surgery and should not take medication blindly, as this will only aggravate the symptoms and increase the difficulty of cure.