CLINICAL CASES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 1998 June;157(3):97-9

Copyright © 1998 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Diagnosis of hemobilia by ultrasound scan. A case which resolved spontaneously

Maculotti L., Castoldi M., Cera G.

Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca’ Granda - Milano, Divisione di Chirurgia Generale «Andrea Ponti»

Post traumatic hemobilia is not frequent and accounts for about 1-3% of all blunt hepatic traumas. Although post traumatic hemobilia may resolve spontaneously in approximately 7% of cases, the majority of cases requires early careful detection and appropriate treatment.
The case reported demonstrates the importance of modern diagnostic imaging procedures, such as ultrasonography, to investigate post traumatic hemobilia. Ultrasonography can provide only indirect evidence of hemobilia, such as a gallbladder filled with clots or dilated common bile duct filled with clotted blood, neverthless it can suggest the correct diagnosis and allow an accurate evaluation of the patient in case of nonoperative management.