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Hemobilia Secondary to Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Procedure: A Case Report
Dharmesh Kaswala1, Divyang Gandhi2, Andrew Moroianu3
1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, The University Hospital, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), 90 Bergen Street, DOC 2100, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. dr.dharmesh@yahoo.com.
A 59 year-old woman with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C, complicated by refractory hepatic hydrothorax was treated with a TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedure. The procedure was complicated by substantial gastrointestinal hemorrhage. EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) was performed and revealed hemobilia. A hepatic angiogram was then performed revealing a fistulous tract between a branch of the hepatic artery and biliary tree. Bleeding was successfully stopped by embolization of the bleeding branch of the right hepatic artery. Hemobilia is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding with an increasing incidence due to the widespread use of invasive hepatobiliary procedures. Hemobilia is an especially uncommon complication of TIPS procedures. We recommend that in cases of hemobilia after TIPS placement, a physician should immediately evaluate the bleeding to exclude an arterio-biliary fistula.
A 59 year-old woman with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C, complicated by refractory hepatic hydrothorax was treated with a TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedure. The procedure was complicated by substantial gastrointestinal hemorrhage. EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) was performed and revealed hemobilia. A hepatic angiogram was then performed revealing a fistulous tract between a branch of the hepatic artery and biliary tree. Bleeding was successfully stopped by embolization of the bleeding branch of the right hepatic artery. Hemobilia is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding with an increasing incidence due to the widespread use of invasive hepatobiliary procedures. Hemobilia is an especially uncommon complication of TIPS procedures. We recommend that in cases of hemobilia after TIPS placement, a physician should immediately evaluate the bleeding to exclude an arterio-biliary fistula.
