Case 1 : An 80-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of obstructive jaundice with common bile duct (CBD) stone. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) was performed for stone removal, and he recovered. But he was readmitted three months later because of recurrent jaundice. Endoscopy showed transformation of the papilla, and ampullary cancer was diagnosed from the histopathological findings.
Case 2 : A 78-year-old man who had undergone EST and biliary stenting for recurrent cholangitis 12 months earlier was admitted to the hospital because of acute cholangitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed CBD stone, stent occlusion, and a tumor appearing on the papilla and peripapillary area. He recovered after stone removal and biliary stenting, but ampullary cancer was diagnosed from the histopathological findings.
It sometimes takes a long time to diagnose ampullary cancer with CBD stone. When we see a case of recurrent jaundice with CBD stone, we should consider the coexistence of ampullary cancer.
