Case Report
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 14, 2006; 12(26): 4273-4275
Published online Jul 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i26.4273
Delayed hemorrhage from hepatic artery after ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy: A case report
Fen-Yu Ren, Xi-Xu Piao, Ai-lian Jin
Fen-Yu Ren, Xi-Xu Piao, Ai-lian Jin, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, Jilin Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Fen-Yu Ren, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, Jilin Province, China. fenyu65@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-433-2660061 Fax:+86-433-2513610
Received: March 7, 2006
Revised: March 20, 2006
Accepted: March 27, 2006
Published online: July 14, 2006
Abstract

Percutaneous liver biopsy is considered one of the most important diagnostic tools to evaluate diffuse liver diseases. Pseudoaneurysm of hepatic artery is an unusual complication after ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy. Delayed hemorrhage occurs much less frequently. We report a case of pseudoaneurysm of the hepatic artery of a 46-year-old man who was admitted for abdominal pain after 4 d of liver biopsy. The bleeding was controlled initially by angiographic embolization. However, recurrent bleeding could not be controlled by repeat angiography, and the patient died 4 d after admission from multiorgan failure. The admittedly rare possibility of delayed hemorrhage should be considered whenever a liver biopsy is performed.

Keywords: Hemorrhage; Hepatic artery; Percutaneous liver biopsy