Purpose: The purpose of this work was to conduct an MR cholangiography study of hepatobiliary abnormalities in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and to correlate these abnormalities with the risk of infection.
Method: Cystic and intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD) abnormalities identified by MR cholangiography in 93 ADPKD patients were studied retrospectively. A blind study of liver function tests, renal insufficiency, and infectious episodes was also carried out. Correlations among these data were looked for using univariate analysis.
Results: Intrahepatic cysts were present in 84 of 93 patients and peribiliary cysts in 59 of 90 patients. IHBDs were abnormal in 25 of 90 patients (tubular dilatation in 15 cases and bead-like dilatation in 16). IHBD abnormalities were correlated with hepatobiliary infections (p = 0.0012), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase elevation (p = 0.018), and terminal renal failure (p = 0.006).
Conclusion: This study confirms the complexity of hepatobiliary involvement in ADPKD. Various types of cystic lesions can arise, and patients with IHBD abnormalities are at increased risk for hepatobiliary infection.