Common bile duct papillary adenoma causing obstructive jaundice: case report and review of the literature

Common bile duct (CBD) adenomas are rare tumors that often present in a fashion similar to their malignant counterparts. We report a case of a papillary CBD adenoma causing obstructive jaundice. We also present a review of the CBD adenomas found in the English literature through a Medline search (1970-2003). A 74-year-old female presented with a 10-day history of pruritus, progressive painless jaundice, acholic stools, bilirubinuria, and 10-lb weight loss. Abdominal exam showed no masses. Abdominal ultrasound (U/S) showed cholelithiasis without choledocholithiasis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic U/S revealed a shelf-like stricture, 1.5 cm long and 0.9 cm in diameter, located in the distal CBD. At the time of biliary stent placement, fine-needle aspiration showed benign ductal epithelial cells in sheets and clusters. Abdominal CT scan showed a low attenuation 15 x 17 mm lesion in the head of the pancreas that abutted the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) but no metastatic lesions. We performed a standard pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure). Final pathology showed a papillary adenoma without evidence of dysplasia in the distal common bile duct proximal to the ampulla of Vater. The incidence of these tumors and their potential for malignant degeneration is unknown. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is an effective means of treatment and cure for CBD adenoma.