Carcinomatous Arteriopathy as an Unusual Feature of Pulmonary Spread of Cholangiocarcinoma Arising in Caroli Disease

Abstract

Abstract Carcinomatous arteriopathy is a rare and distinct form of pulmonary spread of solid malignant tumors characterized by fibrointimal proliferation of small pulmonary arteries and arterioles initiated by tumor emboli. Although it has been reported in many types of adenocarcinomas, no case of carcinomatous arteriopathy induced by cholangiocarcinoma has been described in the literature. We report a unique case of cholangiocarcinoma that arose in Caroli disease. Postmortem examination revealed extensive pulmonary vascular spread in the form of carcinomatous arteriopathy.