[Clinical aspects, diagnosis and therapy of genuine bile duct cysts].

During an eight-year period eight patients with intra- or extrahepatic bile duct cysts were treated at our institution. One patient belonged to Type I, four to Type IV and three to Type V according to the classification by Alonso-Lej/Todani. The main symptom among the Type IV patients was jaundice, among the Type V patients abdominal pain. The correct diagnosis could be established by ERCP in seven of eight cases. Two type V patients with disease mainly confined to one lobe of the liver could be resected, one patient was treated endoscopically, the others underwent biliary drainage procedures.