In 1958 Caroli described the syndrome of congenital, either segmental or involving the entire bile duct system, saccular extensions of the intrahepatic bile ducts. He differentiated between two types of this disease pattern. The first form concerns pure cystic dilatations of the intrahepatic bile ducts, whereas the second one is combined with hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension. Both types are characterised by cystic dilatations in the kidneys and in the extrahepatic bile ducts, pancreas and spleen.