Emergency embolization in posttraumatic hemobilia in a child

Area of Science:

• Pediatric surgery
• Interventional radiology
• Trauma management

Background:

• Hemobilia, or bleeding into the biliary tract, is a rare complication of abdominal trauma.
• Posttraumatic intrahepatic aneurysms can lead to significant hemorrhage.

Observation:

• A ten-year-old male presented with hemobilia following abdominal trauma.
• Diagnostic angiography revealed an intrahepatic false aneurysm as the source of bleeding.

Findings:

• The intrahepatic false aneurysm was successfully treated with endovascular embolization.
• This represents the first reported pediatric case of successful embolization for posttraumatic hemobilia.

Implications:

• Endovascular embolization is a viable and effective treatment for pediatric posttraumatic hemobilia.
• Early diagnosis and intervention can prevent life-threatening hemorrhage in pediatric trauma patients.