CHOLEDOCHAL CYSTS: THE DIAGNOSTIC RELIABILITY OF ULTRASOUND

Choledochal cysts are rare cystic dilatations of the bile ducts, which are commonly found in children. We report two young patients affected by this anomaly. The clinical symptoms of the patients were minimal: mild pain localized in the upper-right quadrant and a serum increase in transaminases. Both of the patients were affected by type I choledochal cysts (B and A, respectively, according to the Todani classification). The diagnosis was made using abdominal ultrasound and then confirmed by MRI. We wish to emphasize the relevant contribution of ultrasound as an easy, reliable, rapid, low-cost modality for the diagnosis of choledochal cysts