Obstructive Cholangitis Secondary to Mucus Secreted by a Solitary Papillary Bile Duct Tumor

A middle-aged woman had repeated episodes of common bile duct obstruction and cholangitis caused by profuse secretion of mucus by a solitary papillary tumor in the left hepatic duct. This complication usually occurs only with papillomatosis. The tumor initially appeared to be benign but subsequently was proven to be an invasive adenocarcinoma. Although the tumor recurred after surgical resection, her course remained uneventful without spread of the neoplasm for 3 yr.