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I am 48 yo female with 8.1 mm dilated bile duct, any ideas ?

I am 48 yo female, 5"7, 140 pounds- with my gallbladder in tact. No health issues. U/S shows 8.1mm common bile duct. Symptoms include fatigue, and periodic low grade temp.  No other symptoms.  Scheduled for MRCP-  any ideas or thoughts? Should I be concerned?
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The differential diagnosis presented above is correct and comprehensive. Given your age and lack of other significant co-morbidities, the most probable cause would be a stone/calculus in the common bile duct (choledocholithiasis). If the MRCP shows this, then the next step would be an ERCP to remove it.
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Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it. if they do find a stone or some kind of blockage  Does it have to be removed?
That is discussion that you would need to have with your gastroenterologist since this is outside my field of expertise. I will instead refer you to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, which publishes guidelines for standards of practice. I have copied and pasted relevant portions below:

Although data regarding the natural history of choledocholithiasis are limited, available studies indicate that some common bile duct (CBD) stones will spontaneously migrate (21%-34%), and migrating stones pose a moderate risk of pancreatitis (25%-36%) or cholangitis if they obstruct the distal duct.

We recommend that CBD stones should be removed if detected unless significant mitigating clinical circumstances are present. The optimal timing of endoscopic stone management depends on the clinical scenario. We recommend that urgent ERCP is indicated for stones associated with severe acute cholangitis that is not responding to medical treatment.

Source: https://www.asge.org/docs/default-source/education/practice_guidelines/doc-6876dc5f-cb7b-40ff-98ef-7a954a051cc2.pdf
15695260 tn?1549593113
Hello and welcome to the forum.  Thanks for our question!  So, I'm providing a link regarding possible causes of this. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886359/  Please copy and paste that into your browser.  There are some potential reasons that could be concerning but it is important not to worry until you know something more.  When is our MRCP scheduled?  Things that can cause it  are an obstruction of the biliary tree, which can be due to stones, tumors (usually of either the papilla of Vater or the pancreas), benign strictures (due to chronic pancreatitis or primary sclerosing cholangitis), benign stenosis of the papilla (ie, papillary stenosis), or a papillary diverticulum.  Basically, when bile can't pass through, the duct becomes distended.  So, an obstruction is likely causing it.  Your doctor will need to determine the source of the obstruction. Something as simple as gallstones can cause it r even just inflammation of the duct.  Here is a more user friendly article to read https://www.healthline.com/health/bile-duct-obstruction#types-of-bile-ducts.  Please let us know what your doctor finds!
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