Chronic periaortitis presenting as common bile duct obstruction.

The case of a 67 year old woman is reported who presented with cholestatic jaundice and was found to have, in addition, an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm. Only at necropsy did histopathology show chronic periaortitis as the aetiology of a pancreatic head mass which, during life, mimicked a pancreatic neoplasm obstructing the bile and pancreatic ducts.