Published online Aug 14, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i30.4211
Peer-review started: February 10, 2022
First decision: April 5, 2022
Revised: April 17, 2022
Accepted: July 16, 2022
Article in press: July 16, 2022
Published online: August 14, 2022
Processing time: 180 Days and 23.4 Hours
Traumatic neuromas result from nerve injury after trauma or surgery but rarely occur in the bile duct. However, it is challenging to diagnose traumatic neuromas correctly preoperatively. Although some previous reports have described the imaging features of traumatic neuroma in the bile duct, no features of traumatic neuromas in the bile duct have been identified by using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging before.
A 55-year-old male patient presented to our hospital with a 3-mo history of abdominal distension and anorexia and history of cholecystectomy 4 years ago. Grayscale ultrasound demonstrated mild to moderate intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. Meanwhile, a hyperechoic nodule was found in the upper extrahepatic bile duct. The lesion approximately 0.8 cm × 0.6 cm with a regular shape and clear margins. The nodule of the bile duct showed slight hyperenhancement in the arterial phase and isoenhancement in the venous phase on CEUS. Laboratory tests showed that alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were increased significantly, while the tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was increased slightly. Then, hilar bile duct resection and end-to-end bile ductal anastomosis were performed. The histological examination revealed traumatic neuroma of the extrahepatic bile duct. The patient had an uneventful recovery after surgery.
The current report will help enhance the current knowledge regarding identifying traumatic neuromas by CEUS imaging and review the related literature.
Core Tip: A traumatic neuroma results from nerve injury after trauma or surgery but rarely occurs in the bile duct. Herein, we present some of the sonographic features of ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound in a case of a traumatic neuroma. We report this unusual case and review the related literature to improve the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of a traumatic neuroma of the bile duct and related imaging findings.