Granular Cell Tumor of the Biliary Tree: A Rare Cause of Limy Bile

Abstract

A 41-year-old black man presented a clinical picture of acute cholecystitis. At surgery, a histologically proven granular cell tumor was found to be occluding the cystic duct. This case is reported because of the rarity of this tumor, particularly in the biliary tree and in a male.

Granular Cell Tumor

“…This is his second encounter with visceral granular cell tumors in over 30 years of practice. A review of the pathology database at our hospital over the last 10 years yielded 15 cases of GCT: cutaneous (5), tongue (4), esophagus (2), colon (2), breast (1), and vulva (1). The only other colonic GCT was a 3 mm splenic flexure polyp biopsied during screening colonoscopy in a 77year-old woman.…”

“…They predominantly arise from the oral cavity (tongue being the commonest site), skin, and subcutaneous tissue, although they have been reported from many other organs like breast, bronchus, pituitary, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and biliary tract. 1 They are ubiquitous, small (typically less than 3 cm), solitary (5 to 15% multiple), mostly benign (;2% are malignant) tumors.…”