Published online Oct 15, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i20.3078
Revised: January 6, 2004
Accepted: January 12, 2004
Published online: October 15, 2004
One 63-year-old woman, who presented with cholestatic jaundice due to common bile duct compression produced by primary retroperitoneal fibrosis, is studied. The patient was operated six years ago because of hydronephrosis, when the disease was first diagnosed. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed the presence of extrahepatic bile duct obstruction, which once was considered to be pathognomonic of pancreatic cancer. CT-scan demonstrated the change of retroperitoneal fibrosis around left kidney, atrophy of right kidney, and obstruction of extrahepatic bile duct (pancreatic head). An explorative laparotomy was performed, and the retroperitoneum and pancreas were grayish-white and hard, the fibrotic pancreatic head compressed the common bile duct. Bile duct stricture was managed by Rouxen-Y hepatocholangio-jejunostomy. To the best of our knowledge, few similar cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis have been reported.