[Highly differentiated adenocarcinoma in a villous adenoma of the common bile duct near the papilla].

A 65-year-old man, in hospital for treatment for bladder carcinoma, was by chance found also to have a so far asymptomatic obstructive jaundice with hydrops of the gallbladder. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography revealed, in addition to a papilla distorted by tumour, a clearly obstructed choledochal duct with dilated intrahepatic bile ducts, caused by a 2-3 cm prepapillary intraductal choledochus tumour, which in the biopsy specimen corresponded to papillomatous structures with occasional medium-grade epithelial dysplasias. The patients, who initially declined operation, was five weeks later re-admitted with the clinical picture of an acute abdomen. In view of the history the surgeon performed a partial duodenopancreatectomy despite the acute emergency. Histology revealed a highly differentiated adenocarcinoma within a villous adenoma of the choledochal duct near the papilla.