Abstract

Morphologically, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) presents as a parenchymal mass, and it is occasionally resectable and potentially curable. In some cases, differentiation from other hepatic neoplasms such as metastatic lesions and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be extremely difficult, both clinically and histologically, and definitive diagnosis often needs correlation with clinical and radiologic finding.Contrasted computed tomography (CT) is useful in the diagnosis of ICC and in determining the extent of tumor involvement. Although the majority of liver tumors can be diagnosed by modern imaging modalities such as contrast CT, some cases of ICC show tumor enhancement in the arterial phase the same as that in HCC, or a biliary dilatation without stenosis by intraductal tumor growth. Differences in these patterns of tumor enhancement and status of the bile ducts in ICC may also reflect differences in cellular characteristics, clinical features, and prognosis after treatment. We present a case of a small ICC showing similar clinical and radiologic characteristics to HCC.

• Keywords: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma;Hepatocellular carcinoma;Liver nodule