TICLOPIDINE-INDUCED CHRONIC CHOLESTATIC HEPATITIS - A CASE-REPORT

We report a case study of a patient with cholestatic hepatitis undergo ing treatment with oral ticlopidine. The patient was admitted to our h ospital for a transient ischemic attack, and after 40 days of ticlopid ine therapy developed cholestatic jaundice, fever, itching, and arthra lgias. Results from an ultrasound, computed tomography scan, and endos copic retrograde cholangiopancreatography eliminated the presence of b iliary obstruction; results from a liver biopsy showed a histopatholog ic picture consistent with drug-induced cholestatic hepatitis. One yea r after discontinuation of ticlopidine, the patient was still asymptom atic, but laboratory data showed relevant abnormalities, indicating pe rsistence of cholestasis and hepatic injury. This is the first reporte d instance of a patient with cholestatic hepatitis that developed duri ng treatment with ticlopidine and persisted despite interruption of dr ug administration.