Management of obstructive jaundice secondary to hemorrhagic cholecystitis following a high-altitude fall: A case...

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis is a rare cause of obstructive jaundice and presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This case report describes a patient with obstructive jaundice secondary to hemorrhagic cholecystitis who was successfully treated with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. A 42-year-old woman sustained a high-altitude fall resulting in pulmonary contusion and pelvic and femoral fractures. After orthopedic surgery, she developed hemorrhagic cholecystitis. Although percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage resolved the intragallbladder hemorrhage, obstructive jaundice persisted due to a blood clot in the common bile duct, caused by hemobilia, obstructed biliary outflow. Subsequent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography successfully removed the clot and restored biliary drainage. The patient achieved complete clinical recovery and was discharged without complications within 1 month. Obstructive jaundice due to hemorrhagic cholecystitis is uncommon and requires prompt diagnosis and intervention. To our knowledge, this report is among the few describing successful combined management with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using a fully covered metal stent and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage for obstructive jaundice secondary to hemorrhagic cholecystitis complicated by hemobilia.