Bile leakage and resultant bile peritonitis during or after diagnostic laparoscopy: an unpredictable event

Bile peritonitis secondary to bile leakage is a rare complication of laparoscopy-guided liver biopsy. We report two cases of bile peritonitis occurring, respectively, during and 6 days after liver biopsy in patients with an initial diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis associated with chronic pancreatitis. In both cases, bile leakage was first managed by compression with a palpating probe and, at onset or worsening of symptoms, by suture during laparotomy. However, while the first patient progressed uneventfully during the postoperative period, the second died 13 days after laparotomy. In the latter patient, bile leakage was associated with bleeding from the biopsy site with consequently diminished peritoneal irritation and delayed onset of symptoms. In this patient, pancreatic carcinoma, of which evidence was found at autopsy, may also have contributed to the fatal outcome. In conclusion, bile leakage and secondary peritonitis may also occur in the absence of dilation of the biliary tree and may be fatal, especially if not recognized and treated early.