Extrahepatic biliary atresia with cartilaginous metaplasia in the gallbladder remnants
Eugenia Altamirano 1 and Ricardo Drut 1*
1 Hospital de Niños, Argentina
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: patologi{at}netverk.com.ar.
Accepted 2 February 2007
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Extrahepatic biliary atresia (EBA) is a chronic inflammatory process leading to fibrous obliteration of the biliary tree. Cartilaginous metaplasia within the remaining walls of the biliary main ducts in EBA has been reported once although as cartilage heterotopia. We are presenting a similar finding but in the gallbladder of an infant with the full-blown manifestations of EBA and proposing that the alteration results from metaplasia of local connective tissue. Also referred to, is the complete disappearance of smooth muscle cells in the walls of the biliary tree in EBA, a data which seems to be missing in the description of the pathology in these circumstances.
Key Words:
cartilaginous metaplasia, extrahepatic biliary atresia, gallbladder
