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Bile Duct Stones: Making the Radiologic Diagnosis

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Book cover Multidisciplinary Management of Common Bile Duct Stones

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Abstract

Bile duct stones are concretions of bile components that originate in the gallbladder as gallstones (cholelithiasis) and that are present in the biliary tree at the time of discovery. Most gall stones, if small enough, will pass through the cystic duct and the common bile duct (CBD) into the duodenum. Choledocholithiasis refers to stones in the common bile duct. These stones may lodge in the CBD and become impacted, thereby causing a blockage of the duct. Making the diagnosis of bile duct stones begins with a basic understanding of the biliary anatomy. Diagnosis by imaging can be made with a variety of modalities, most often by ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its cholangiographic adaptation (MRCP). Each modality has its relative advantages and shortcomings, and knowledge of the indirect and direct findings of choledocholithiasis, of the differential diagnosis of biliary dilatation and relative strengths of each imaging modality allows for accurate radiological diagnosis. However, one must be aware of the pitfalls of each modality to avoid misdiagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

    Sunny Jaiswal M.D., M.B.A. & Suresh Chamarthi M.B.B.S.

Authors
  1. Sunny Jaiswal M.D., M.B.A.
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  2. Suresh Chamarthi M.B.B.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sunny Jaiswal M.D., M.B.A. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Chief, Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery,, Department of Surgery,, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Jeffrey W. Hazey

  2. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Director, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine,, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Darwin L. Conwell

  3. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Gregory E. Guy

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Jaiswal, S., Chamarthi, S. (2016). Bile Duct Stones: Making the Radiologic Diagnosis. In: Hazey, J., Conwell, D., Guy, G. (eds) Multidisciplinary Management of Common Bile Duct Stones. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22765-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22765-8_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22764-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22765-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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