Peribiliary Hamartoma (Bile Duct Adenoma)
Sanjay Kakar, MD
Key Facts
Terminology
Historically called “bile duct adenoma” but shown to have phenotype of peribiliary glands rather than bile ducts
Clinical Issues
Almost always incidental findings during surgery for another reason
Submitted for frozen section to rule out metastasis
Microscopic Pathology
Uniformly sized tubules and acini with rounded outlines
Single layer of cuboidal to columnar cells that lack atypia, hyperchromasia, mitoses
Fibrous stroma either scant or dense and hyalinized
Bile is not present, and ducts do not communicate with biliary tree
 Peribiliary gland hamartomas are well circumscribed but unencapsulated. Note the obvious fibrous stroma and the adjacent portal tract  . |
 The glands in PGH are rounded and closely packed, with a single layer of cuboidal epithelium. Lumens are small or inapparent. Note the lack of nuclear atypia and mitoses. |
TERMINOLOGY
Abbreviations
Bile duct adenoma (BDA)
Peribiliary gland hamartoma (PGH)
Synonyms
Bile duct adenoma
Cholangioma
Cholangioadenoma
Definitions
Small, benign epithelial tumor composed of glands that resemble bile ducts
Historically called “bile duct adenoma”
Recently shown that cells have phenotype of peribiliary glands rather than bile ducts
CLINICAL ISSUES
