[Secondary sclerosing cholangitis]

Presse Med. 1995 Jun 3;24(20):948-52.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Secondary sclerosing cholangitis leads to slow and often irreversible destruction of the walls of both intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. As for primary sclerosing cholangitis, clinical signs and laboratory findings reveal cholestasis. The diagnosis is confirmed by retrograde endoscopic cholangiography which shows narrowed bile ducts and rarefied ramifications of the intra-hepatic ductal system. Several causes have been identified including infectious causes with or without a relationship to bile duct obstruction and human immunodeficiency virus infection as well as ischaemic related causes after chemotherapy, arterial embolization or liver transplantation. Other causes include chemical aggression after treatment for hydatic cysts and post-surgical complications due to a damaged bile tract. Treatment is difficult and often dependent on the cause.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / complications
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / complications*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Biliary Tract Diseases / surgery
  • Cholangitis, Sclerosing / chemically induced
  • Cholangitis, Sclerosing / etiology*
  • Cholangitis, Sclerosing / microbiology
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections / complications*
  • Embolization, Therapeutic / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Liver Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Postoperative Complications

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents