Abstract

C. sinensis induces adenomatous hyperplasia of the epithelium of the bile ducts, and the epithelium of the bile duct persistently exposed to biochemically altered bile may undergo the sequence, hyperplasia-metaplaisa-dysplasia-carcinoma. Cholangiocarcinomas were developed in most hamsters treated with an N-nitroso compound and then infected with C. sinensis. In the patients with intrahepatic duct stones, bile usually infected with bacteria. Mechanical stimuli due to stones, long-lasting bile stasis, and bacterial infection are considered to be the other significant causative factors in cholangiocarcinogenesis. Radiological examinations are essential in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tree diseases including clonorchiasis, biliary stone disease, and cholangiocarcinoma. As both C. sinensis and intrahepatic duct stones are common, radiological and clinical findings should be attentively investigated for the possible presence of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with clonorchiasis or intrahepatic duct stones.

• Keywords: Clonorchis sinensis;Biliary stones;Cholangiocarcinoma