A severe case of hemobilia and biliary fistula following an open urgent cholecystectomy

Cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstones, but remains the greatest source of post-operative biliary injuries. Laparoscopic approach has beenrecently preferred because of short hospitalisation and low morbidity but has an higher incidence of biliary leakages and bile duct injuries than open one due to a technical error or misinterpretation of the anatomy.

Even open cholecystectomy presents a small number of complications especially if it2 has performed in urgency. Hemobilia is one of the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from the biliary ducts into the gastrointestinal tract due to trauma, advent of invasiveprocedures such as percutaneous liver biopsy, transhepatic cholangiography, and biliary drainage.

Methods: We report here a case of massive hemobilia in a 60-year-old man who underwent an urgent open cholecystectomy and a subsequent placement of a transhepatic biliary drainage .

Conclusions: The management of these complications enclose endoscopic, percutaneous and surgical therapies.

After a diagnosis of biliary fistula, it's most important to assess the adequacy of bile drainage to determine a controlled fistula and to avoid bile collection and peritonitis. Transarterial embolization is the first line of intervention to stop hemobilia while surgical intervention should be considered if embolization fails or is contraindicated.

Author: Vincenzo NapolitanoRoberto CirocchiAlessandro SpizzirriLorenzo CattoriniFrancesco La MuraEriberto FarinellaUmberto MorelliCarla MigliaccioPamela Del MonacoStefano TrastulliMicol Sole Di PatriziDiego MilaniFrancesco Sciannameo
Credits/Source: Wo

Published on: 2009-11-10

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