BILE LEAKAGE AS A COMPLICATION OF LIVER-BIOPSY IN LIVER-TRANSPLANTS

Four liver transplant recipients with intrahepatic bile duct leakage f ollowing liver biopsy are described. Two patients were clinically susp ected of having a bile leak, one of whom had bile peritonitis. All fou r patients had elevated liver enzyme levels. In three patients, cholan giography showed contrast media leakage into the peritoneum through th e needle biopsy tract; one leak was totally intraparenchymal. All pati ents had varying degrees of biliary obstruction. The differential diag nosis of bile leakage posttransplantation should include recent liver biopsy.