Dilated common bile duct

[Betty600]

I have a dilated common bile duct, had a CT, MRI, Endoscopy, Endoscopic Ultrasound & lots of blood work,
everything was negative, but in the endoscopic ultrasound it showed again the dilated common bile duct and
irregular Z line.  What could be causing this?


This discussion is related to is ERCP really needed based on tests?.

[CalGal]

A dilated CBD can be the result of removal of the gallbladder in some people. In others, it can indicate dilation due to blockage of the CBD at some point by a stone. or a possible pathogenic process. It would be difficult to know what the actual cause is without having a full medical history. Have you checked with your doc? He/she should have some idea of the cause.

[PUMPMANPLEE]

My mother 72 years old, also recently had
Endoscopy, X-RAYS, CT SCAN, MRCP & three blood tests
because she had upper abdominal pain, nausea & felt
sick with some weight loss.

however, all the above tests came back normal, except
that there was some dilation of the bile duct near the
ampulla of vater just before it enters the duodenum
or start of the small intestine.

our gastro specialist could not be sure if the bile duct dilation
was due to a gallstone or tumour or simply old age, so he wanted my
mother to have an ERCP Ultrasound, followed by ERCP if a gallstone is detected & needs removing or if a tumour is detected & a biopsy needs to be taken or nothing needs to be done if the bile duct dilation is due to old age.
my mother had her gall bladder removed some 8 years ago & this also
could result in dilation of the bile duct.
currently my mother is still deciding whether it is worth
doing the ERCP as we are aware of the risks such as pancreatitis, bleeding & other complications that we have read about from others who have undergone an ERCP.

PUMPMANPLEE