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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this article is to describe the role of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in the staging of cholangiocarcinoma using surgery as the reference standard. Background Cholangiocarcinoma is associated with a dismal prognosis; however, curative resection may offer a chance of cure. Various factors should be considered in the staging of cholangiocarcinoma. These factors include the extent of bile duct involvement, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal seeding, and distant metastases. Using high-quality volume data from MDCT and adequate postprocessing images, radiologists can provide various types of information that is imperative for curative resection of cholangiocarcinoma. Patients and methods This study included 50 patients (23 men and 27 women) who had finally been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. Informed consent was signed by the patients. All patients were subjected to a proper assessment of history, clinical examination as well as routine laboratory investigations. Triphasic abdominal MDCT was performed using postprocessing techniques including multiplanar reformation, maximum intensity projection, and minimum intensity projection. Results Twenty-one patients had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 27 patients had perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, one patient had extrahepatic distal cholangiocarcinoma, and one patient had mixed (intrahepatic and perihilar) cholangiocarcinoma. The tumor was resectable in 13 patients, where 10 patients were consistent with preoperative MDCT findings and three patients were inconsistent. Conclusion MDCT images provide important information on the preoperative evaluation and staging of cholangiocarcinoma with reference to the surgical procedures and findings.

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