Endovascular and Endoscopic Treatment of Hemobilia: A Report of Two Cases

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 8
• Main Authors: Cardona, José D, Rivero, Oscar M, Pinto, Renzo, Barragán, Camilo A, Torres, David F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 25.08.2022; Cureus
• Subjects: Abdomen; Antibiotics; Bile ducts; Blood clots; Case reports; Cholangitis; Embolization; Emergency medical care; Endoscopy; Enzymes; Fistula; Gastroenterology; Hematemesis; Hemorrhage; Liver; Medical imaging; Pathophysiology; Patients; Pseudoaneurysm; Radiology; Stents; Tomography; Ultrasonic imaging; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28383

Hemobilia is a term used to describe bleeding caused by abnormal communication between blood vessels and bile ducts. Some vascular anomalies, such as aneurysms or arterio-biliary fistulas, facilitate the appearance of this type of biliary bleeding. Other causes have been described such as iatrogenic causes secondary to percutaneous procedures, infections, tumors, and trauma. We report two cases of hemobilia. The first one presented with acute biliary bleeding with secondary hypovolemic shock. Bleeding was controlled after percutaneous interventions with a selective embolization technique. The second case was a patient who presented to the emergency department after a fall from his height. During hospitalization, acute cholangitis was documented, associated with hemobilia. A wide papillotomy and biliary duct instrumentation were done with the extraction of a large blood clot. Angiography is the standard for diagnosis and embolization becomes the best tool for the detection and control of vascular abnormalities that can perpetuate bleeding.