Based in New York, Dr. Brian Gilchrist is a longtime pediatric surgeon who has leadership experience in everything from trauma care to neonatal conditions. During his perinatology and obstetrics rounds at the State University of New York’s Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Dr. Brian Gilchrist spoke on “Management of Choledochal Cysts.”
Congenital, or present at birth, choledochal cysts can either appear in infancy or take several years to emerge. Among the symptoms to be aware of are abdominal mass, nausea, fever, and vomiting, as well as a pain in the upper right belly.
Since the liver generates bile as a digestive aid, choledochal cysts involve anomalies of the duct responsible for transporting bile from liver to small intestine and gall bladder. As the duct swells abnormally, bile backs up into the liver, which can, in turn, cause liver issues. It can also block the major duct leading from the pancreas gland to intestine, which may lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas.
The long-term risks of this occurring in childhood are significant, including an elevated cancer risk as an adult. The positive news is that choledochal cysts are a treatable condition and can be successfully removed through laparoscopic surgery.
Brian Gilchrist 