Abstract
We performed a retrospective study on the growth and extent of the extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma by serial endoscopic cholangiography in 30 patient swhich had been followed up by endoscopic biliary drainage without anti-cancer treatments. Cholangiographic findings of the tumor were classified into the following four types: papillary type in 7, nodular type in 13, nodular-infiltrative type in 8 and diffuse infiltrative type in 2. A mean time of the follow up period was 10.2 months, ranged from 1 to 90 months. In papillary or nodular type, the size of the tumor increased slowly, and infiltrative growth or extention to hilar portion were observed infrequently in approximately 20% of them. In contrast, extentian to hilar pardon was observed in most of the cases of nodular-infiltrative or diffuse infiltrative type. Prognosis was not necessarily related to types of the tumor or extention to hilar portion. Cholangiographic findings in onset, however, was considered to be a useful predictor of extention to hilar portion.
