DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been reading your column for years and have a question about Caroli’s disease. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago and am currently in remission or symptom-free at this time. I found out I had it by accident when I had a CT scan for some pain on my left side. The technician did a full scan of my abdomen and then over to my right side and told me to see a specialist. I went through a series of blood tests and then an MRI scan. The process took about two months before I was diagnosed.

My father and grandfather are now believed to have had the disease, but we did not know it at the time of their deaths. They both had liver and kidney problems and cancer. I have had my boys tested through a blood test, and they are negative for the disease. I have other siblings who also tested negative for it. They have children, but not all have been tested. So far, I am the only one in the family.
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