KEY FACTS
Terminology
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Encapsulated collection of bile outside biliary tree
Imaging
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Ultrasound
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Grayscale ultrasound
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Focal collection of fluid within liver or close to biliary tree, or in gallbladder fossa in patients with recent cholecystectomy
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Round or oval in shape, usually unilocular, usually no discernible thin capsule
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Anechoic fluid content suggests fresh biloma
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Debris or septa suggest infected biloma
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May see echogenic foci at periphery related to clips from recent surgery
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Color Doppler ultrasound
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No vascularity within lesion
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For infected biloma, there may be increased vascularity in adjacent tissue
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CECT: Well-defined or slightly irregular cystic lesion without identifiable wall
Top Differential Diagnoses
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Perihepatic collection/seroma/lymphocele
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Hepatic cyst
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Hepatic abscess
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Intrahepatic hematoma
Pathology
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Iatrogenic: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, post liver transplantation, ERCP or other instrumentation of biliary tree, liver biopsy
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Post traumatic: Blunt trauma, motor vehicle accident
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Spontaneous rupture of bile duct
Scanning Tips
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Look for low-level echoes within biloma, which can indicate underlying infection