BILIARY DUCT HAMARTOMA

Course overview

BILIARY DUCT HAMARTOMAS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS VON MEYENBURG COMPLEXES, ARE DILATED CYSTIC BILE DUCTS, WHICH ARE EMBRYOLOGIC REMNANTS THAT FAILED TO INVOLUTE DURING THE PERIOD OF EMBRYOGENESIS. THEY ARE TYPICALLY SMALL (LESS THAN 5MM) AND PRESENT AS MULTIPLE LESIONS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE LIVER. THEY ARE RARE, ASYMPTOMATIC, AND WITH A RELATIVELY BENIGN DISEASE COURSE. THERE IS A POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION WITH MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION; THUS, SUSPICIOUS OR EVOLVING LESIONS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER FOR A DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE BILIARY DUCT HAMARTOMAS AND EXPLAINS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.