Hemobilia, a rare cause of acute pancreatitis after percutaneous liver biopsy: Diagnosis and treatment by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

We here report the case history of a 75-yr-old woman who developed pancreat itis and recurrent symptomatic, cholestasis-induced hemobilia after percuta neous liver biopsy. An endoscopic sphincterotomy with clot extraction led t o relief of symptoms. The risk of hemobilia after percutaneous liver biopsy is less than one per 1000 procedures, and only two cases of acute pancreat itis after percutaneous liver biopsy have previously been reported. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which endoscopic retrograde cholangiop ancreatography was used to both diagnostic and therapeutic ends. (C) 1999 b y Am. Cell. of Gastroenterology.