[Sclerosing cholangitis following surgical treatment of hydatid cysts of the liver. Probable role of the formol injection of bile ducts].

Three cases of secondary sclerosing cholangitis which developed during the early postoperative phase of surgical treatment of hydatid liver cysts are reported. The cysts had ruptured into the biliary tree and the treatment consisted of infection of formol into the cysts. Evolution was pejorative since one patient died within 3 months and the remaining two underwent liver transplantation following biliary sclerosis. An experimental protocol using dogs has shown that the injection of 5, 10 and 20 p. 100 formalin into normal bile ducts rapidly causes sclerosing cholangitis which often leads to death. In man, it is very likely that the contact of 2 p. 100 formalin with mucosal tissue damaged by episodes of cholangitis could result in sclerosing cholangitis. These observations should be sufficient to discourage the use of formalin to sterilize hydatid cysts of the liver.