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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2014; 20(7): 1878-1881
Published online Feb 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1878
Published online Feb 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1878
Recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and hepatic infarction after liver biopsy
Faraz Bishehsari, Richard M Green, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Peng-Sheng Ting, Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, No. 1 Jen Ai Road Section 1, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
Author contributions: All authors participated in the patient care, literature review and preparing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Faraz Bishehsari, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Lurie 3-250, 303 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States. faraz-bishehsari@fsm.northwestern.edu
Telephone: +1-312-5031837 Fax: +1-312-5032576
Received: July 18, 2013
Revised: September 2, 2013
Accepted: September 16, 2013
Published online: February 21, 2014
Processing time: 237 Days and 10.6 Hours
Revised: September 2, 2013
Accepted: September 16, 2013
Published online: February 21, 2014
Processing time: 237 Days and 10.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: We describe a case of a 43-year-old woman with a small hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) that was persistently symptomatic and avoided radiographic detection at an early stage. High clinical suspicion and close clinical/radiological follow-up is required for patients with risk factors such as previous liver biopsy, even if an initial workup is negative. These small HAPs may cause symptoms as late as several weeks after a liver biopsy, and have the potential to afflict severe complications such as hemobilia and thrombosis of the hepatic artery branches, resulting in hepatic infarction and abscess formation.