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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
Heterotopic Auxiliary Rat Liver Transplantation With Flow-regulated Portal Vein Arterialization in Acute Hepatic Failure
Published on: September 13, 2014
Life-Threatening Ruptured Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm Post-Liver Transplant: A Case Report
Maciana Santos Silva1, Daniel Reis Waisberg1, Tarsila Gomes Caldas1
1Liver and Abdominal Organs Transplantation Division, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm after liver transplantation is a rare condition that can lead to spontaneous bleeding, depending on its extent and location. Treatment involves endovascular and surgical approaches in addition to liver retransplantation in cases of graft failure.
Case Report:
A 42-year-old female underwent deceased donor liver transplantation due to cryptogenic cirrhosis and schistosomiasis with an uneventful postoperative course. However, 18 days after the operation, she presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, hypotension, and lipothymia. A computed tomography scan revealed a hepatic artery anastomotic pseudoaneurysm, and due to hemodynamic instability, emergency laparotomy was indicated. During the operation, the pseudoaneurysm was found to be ruptured, and the recipient's hepatic artery was ligated due to life-threatening bleeding. She later developed ischemic cholangiopathy and biliary complications, eventually undergoing retransplantation 7 months after the emergency operation. The patient remains well 11 months after the retransplantation.
Conclusion:
We report a rare case of life-threatening rupture of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm, which required emergency ligation of the recipient's hepatic artery and subsequent liver retransplantation due to biliary complications.
