Special presentation of bronchobiliary fistula after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: A case report

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a widely adopted treatment for advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, several complications may occur, such as hepatic artery injury, nontarget embolization, pulmonary embolism, hepatic abscess, biloma, biliary strictures, and hepatic failure. However, bronchobiliary fistula is rarely mentioned before.

A 65-year-old man with HCC underwent the TACE procedure, and then he encountered fever, dyspnea, abdominal pain, and abundant yellowish purulent bronchorrhea.

Bronchobiliary fistula was diagnosed based on the computed tomography (CT) scan of his chest, which revealed the right lower lobe of his lung was connected to a hepatic cystic lesion.

Percutaneous transhepatic cystic drainage was performed, and we obtained yellowish bile, showing the same characteristics as the patient's bronchorrhea.

We kept drainage of his biloma and provided supportive care as the patient wished. Unfortunately, the patient passed away due to progressive right lower lobe pneumonia 2 weeks later.

This case exhibits a typical CT scan image that was helpful for the diagnosis of post-TACE bronchobiliary fistula. Post-TACE bronchobiliary fistula formation hypothesis includes biliary tree injuries with subsequent biloma formation and diaphragmatic injuries. Moreover, the treatment of bronchobiliary fistula should be prompt to cease pneumonia progression. Therefore, we introduce this rare complication of post-TACE bronchobiliary fistula in hopes that future clinicians will keep earlier intervention in mind.