Imaging presentation of biliary adenofibroma: A case report

Abstract

BACKGROUND Biliary adenofibroma (BF) is a rare benign epithelial tumor with the possibility of malignant transformation. Its main pathological feature is a well-defined cystic or honeycomb mass. BF has no specific clinical manifestations or laboratory and imaging findings; thus, it is easily misdiagnosed before surgery. This report describes a case in which biliary cystadenoma was misdiagnosed preoperatively and BF was diagnosed postoperatively. The imaging features, particularly the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features, were analyzed and summarized. CASE SUMMARY A 68-year-old Chinese man was admitted to our hospital with a 2-mo history of abdominal discomfort. Following admission to our hospital, laboratory examinations showed normal tumor marker concentrations and liver function. Hepatocellular carcinoma was considered after contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination. MRI suggested the possibility of cystadenoma of the bile duct. However, postoperative pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of BF. No local recurrence was found 1 mo after surgery. CONCLUSION Our objective is to highlight the imaging diagnostic value of BF, especially on an MRI enhanced scan with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid.