Recurrent Hemobilia Due to Right Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm

Cystic Artery Stump Pseudoaneurysm Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Case Report

Cystic artery stump pseudoaneurysm (CASP) is a potentially life-threatening condition that can be related to multiple etiologies, especially the iatrogenic factor owing to the increased number of hepatobiliary procedures. Most patients present with haemobilia. Here we report a successfully managed case of CASP that initially complained of right upper abdominal pain. A 38-year-old patient developed bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) which was identified by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Later, she developed haemobilia due to CASP which was then treated by trans-arterial embolization (TAE). CASP is a rare complication of post-LC, yet potentially life-threatening, with possible delayed complications occurring months to years after the surgery. Clinicians and radiologists should be aware of this important entity and its variable manifestations to facilitate early treatment.

Future Perspectives on Radiomics in Acute Liver Injury and Liver Trauma

Background: Acute liver injury occurs most frequently due to trauma, but it can also occur because of sepsis or drug-induced injury. This review aims to analyze artificial intelligence (AI)'s ability to detect and quantify liver injured areas in adults and pediatric patients. Methods: A literature analysis was performed on the PubMed Dataset. We selected original articles published from 2018 to 2023 and cohorts with ≥10 adults or pediatric patients. Results: Six studies counting 564 patients were collected, including 170 (30%) children and 394 adults. Four (66%) articles reported AI application after liver trauma, one (17%) after sepsis, and one (17%) due to chemotherapy. In five (83%) studies, Computed Tomography was performed, while in one (17%), FAST-UltraSound was performed. The studies reported a high diagnostic performance; in particular, three studies reported a specificity rate > 80%. Conclusions: Radiomics models seem reliable and applicable to clinical practice in patients affected by acute liver injury. Further studies are required to achieve larger validation cohorts.

Case report: Recurrent hemobilia due to hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm mimicking gastrointestinal tract bleeding

Hemobilia, a rare form of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), is a potentially fatal complication that usually occurs after iatrogenic hepatobiliary trauma. However, hemobilia is clinically challenging to diagnose and often gets too late to diagnose. We herein report a case of recurrent hemobilia due to hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) that was initially misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal tract bleeding. However, the patient was treated successfully with percutaneous coil occlusion of the pseudoaneurysm. This case illustrates that hemobilia can present as a mimic of gastrointestinal tract bleeding, but this is often difficult to diagnose at first glance and often misleads clinicians, especially emergency physicians, into making an incorrect diagnosis. Familiarity with the clinical features of hemobilia can help raise clinical suspicion and facilitate the early diagnosis and treatment of hemobilia.

Recurrent right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm after robotic-assisted cholecystectomy in a patient with Mirizzi syndrome: a case report

Background

Iatrogenic hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Trans-arterial embolization (TAE) is an effective way to control bleeding after a ruptured aneurysm. But uncommonly, rebleeding may occur which will require a second embolization or even laparotomy.

Case presentation

We report a case of a 45-year-old woman who underwent robotic-assisted cholecystectomy after the diagnosis of type II Mirizzi syndrome. During the operation, the anterior branch of the right hepatic artery was damaged and Hem-o-lok clips were applied to control the bleeding. The postoperative course was smooth, and the patient was discharged 6 days after the procedure. However, one week after hospital discharge, she presented to the emergency department with right upper abdominal tenderness, melena, and jaundice. After examination, the computed tomography angiography (CTA) revealed a 3 cm pseudoaneurysm at the distal stump of the right hepatic artery anterior branch. TAE with gelfoam material was performed. Three days later, the patient had an acute onset of abdominal pain. A recurrent pseudoaneurysm was found at the same location. She underwent TAE again but this time with a steel coil. No further complication was noted, and she was discharged one week later.

Conclusions

Even with the assistance of modern technologies such as the robotic surgery system, one should still take extra caution while handling the vessels. Also, embolization of the pseudoaneurysm with steel coils may be suitable for preventing recurrence.

Dealing with hepatic artery traumas: A clinical literature review

BACKGROUND

The hepatic artery (HA) is one of the most threatened vascular structures during hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgeries and interventional procedures. It can be affected by many clinical pictures, especially tumors, due to its anatomical position and neighborhood.

AIM

To reveal the evolution and recent developments in the management of HA traumas in the light of the literature.

METHODS

In this article, 100 years of MEDLINE (PubMed) literature and articles including cases and series of HA injuries were reviewed, and the types of injury occurrence, treatment, and related complications and their management were compiled.

RESULTS

The risk of HA injury increases during cholecystectomies and pancreatoduodenectomies, among the most common operations. HA anatomy shows anomalies in approximately 15%-25% of the cases, further increasing this risk. The incidence of HA injury is not precisely known. Approaches that have evolved in recent years in managing patients with HA injury (laceration, transection, ligation, resection) with severe morbidity and mortality risk are reviewed in light of the current literature.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, complications and deaths due to HA injury are less common today. The risk of complications increases in patients with hemodynamic instability, jaundice, cholangitis, and sepsis. Revealing the variations in the preoperative radiological evaluation will reduce the risks. In cases where HA injury is detected, arterial flow continuity should be tried to maintain with primary anastomosis, arterial transpositions, or grafts. In cases where bile duct injury develops, patients should be directed to HPB surgery centers, considering the possibility of accompanying HA injury. Large-scale and multicentric studies are needed to understand better the early and long-term results of HA ligation and determine preventive procedures.

Symptomatic pseudoaneurysms following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Focus on an unusual and dangerous complication

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been associated with an increase in the incidence of biliary and vascular injuries. Pseudoaneurysms (PAs) following LC are rare life-threatening events with limited available experience regarding diagnosis and treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An extensive review of literature during a 26-year period (1994-2020) using MEDLINE® database and Google Scholar® academic search engine revealed 134 patients with at least one symptomatic PA following LC.

RESULTS

Nearly.

81% of patients with PAs become symptomatic during the first 8 weeks following LC. The most common symptoms were gastrointestinal bleeding (74%) and abdominal pain (61%). In 28% of cases, there was a concomitant bile duct injury or leak from the cystic duct stump, whereas in about one-third of cases, PAs presented following an uneventful LC. The most common involved arteries were the right hepatic artery (70%), the cystic artery (19%) or both of them (3%). Trans-arterial embolisation was the favoured first-line treatment with a success rate of 83%. During a median follow-up of 9 months, the mortality rate was 7%.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians should be aware of the PA occurrence following LC. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential.

The role of interventional radiology in hepatic and renal hemorrhage embolization: single center experience and literature review

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Intraabdominal hemorrhage secondary to liver and kidney injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Endovascular arterial embolization is an established interventional radiology technique used to treat active bleeding, and its role in managing abdominal hemorrhages is growing, given the increasing trend for conservative treatment. Our study aims to retrospectively evaluate the technical and clinical results and the possible complications of arterial embolization procedures performed in emergency, in post-traumatic, iatrogenic, and pathological hepatic and renal bleedings.

METHODS

We performed a ten-year, single-center retrospective survey (from January 2010 to December 2019) of all patients treated in emergency by intra-arterial embolization of liver and kidney bleeding. Preliminary CT angiography studies were evaluated, as well as the angiographic findings. Materials used, procedural data, and clinical outcomes, including complications, were recorded.

RESULTS

The diagnostic angiography showed a single source of bleeding in 20 cases (66.7%), two bleeding vessels in 4 cases (13.3%), and multiple hemorrhagic sources in 6 cases (20%). All bleeding sources were successfully embolized; in 12 patients (40%), complete embolization was achieved with coils and 18 patients (60%) with hemostatic sponges. In one case, a second embolization procedure was performed for the persistence of hemodynamic instability. No major post-procedural complications were recorded. The mean procedure duration was 65.1 minutes.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our experience and literature data, the treatment of endovascular embolization in acute abdominal bleeding of hepatic and renal origin represents the treatment of choice, as it can provide complete therapeutic success in hemodynamically stable patients. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Hemobilia due to Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to collateral circulation formation after liver trauma: a case report

Background

Hemobilia due to rupture of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm and recurrent hemorrhage caused by hepatic artery collateral circulation are both rare complications after liver trauma. There have been a number of separate reports of both complications, but no cases have been reported in which the two events occurred in the same patient. Here we report a recurrent hemorrhage in the bile duct due to hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to collateral circulation formation after hepatic artery ligation in a patient with liver trauma.

Case presentation

A 52-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital for liver trauma (Grade IV according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system) with active bleeding after a traffic accident. Hepatic artery ligation was performed for hemostasis. Three months after the surgery, the patient was readmitted for melena and subsequent hematemesis. Selective angiography examination revealed the formation of collateral circulation between the superior mesenteric artery and right hepatic artery. Moreover, a ruptured hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm was observed and transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed for hemostasis at the same time. After the treatment, the patient recovered very well and had an uneventful prognosis until the last follow-up.

Conclusion

For patients with hepatic trauma, the selection of the site of hepatic artery ligation and the diagnosis and treatment methods of postoperative biliary hemorrhage are crucial for the prognosis of the disease.

Cholecystitis and hemobilia

Hemobilia, or hemorrhage into the biliary system, is an unusual cause of gastrointestinal bleeding most commonly seen in accidental or iatrogenic trauma. We present the rare case of a 43-year-old gentleman who presents with an intrahepatic pseudoaneurysm caused by cholecystitis. The management of the hemobilia was technically challenging requiring multiple interventional procedures. We review the pathophysiology and treatment strategies for this rare case of gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Replaced right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm managed with coil embolisation

A 20-year-old male patient presented to our emergency surgery department with blunt trauma to the abdomen and in a state of shock. The patient was resuscitated and a Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) was done which showed a grade 2 liver injury involving segment VIII. The patient was managed conservatively and discharged after 8 days. The patient again presented after 3 weeks with severe anaemia, fever and melena. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed bile mixed with blood at the ampulla of Vater, consistent with haemobilia. CT angiography showed grade 2 injury of the liver with large haematoma in segment VIII. A large right subcapsular collection, a saccular area consistent with pseudoaneurysm of the replaced right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, was seen. A replaced left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery was also observed. The patient underwent right hepatic artery coil embolisation, with postprocedure digital subtraction scan showing no extravasation of contrast. The patient recovered well in the follow-up.

Hemobilia: Historical overview, clinical update, and current practices

Hemobilia refers to macroscopic blood in the lumen of the biliary tree. It represents an uncommon, but important, cause of gastrointestinal bleeding and can have potentially lethal sequelae if not promptly recognized and treated. The earliest known reports of hemobilia date to the 17th century, but due to the relative rarity and challenges in diagnosis of hemobilia, it has historically not been well-studied. Until recently, most cases of hemobilia were due to trauma, but the majority now occur as a sequela of invasive procedures involving the hepatopancreatobiliary system. A triad (Quincke's) of right upper quadrant pain, jaundice and overt gastrointestinal bleeding has been classically described in hemobilia, but it is present in only a minority of patients. Therefore, prompt diagnosis depends critically on a high index of suspicion based on a patient's clinical presentation and a history of recently undergoing hepatopancreatobiliary intervention or having other predisposing factors. Treatment of hemobilia depends on the suspected source and clinical severity and thus ranges from supportive medical care to urgent advanced endoscopic, interventional radiologic, or surgical intervention. In the present review, we provide a historical perspective, clinical update and overview of current trends and practices pertaining to hemobilia.

Hemobilia: Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment☆

Hemobilia refers to bleeding from and/or into the biliary tract and is an uncommon but important cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Reports of hemobilia date back to the 1600s, but due to its relative rarity and challenges in diagnosis, only in recent decades has hemobilia been more critically studied. The majority of cases of hemobilia are iatrogenic and caused by invasive procedures involving the liver, pancreas, bile ducts and/or the hepatopancreatobiliary vasculature, with trauma and malignancy representing the two other leading causes. A classic triad of right upper quadrant pain, jaundice, and overt upper gastrointestinal bleeding has been described (i.e. Quincke's triad), but this is present in only 25%-30% of patients with hemobilia. Therefore, prompt diagnosis depends critically on having a high index of suspicion, which may be based on a patient's clinical presentation and having recently undergone (peri-) biliary instrumentation or other predisposing factors. The treatment of hemobilia depends on its severity and suspected source and ranges from supportive care to advanced endoscopic, interventional radiologic, or surgical intervention. Here we provide a clinical overview and update regarding the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of hemobilia geared for specialists and subspecialists alike.