Ischemic Cholangiopathy

Bile ducts are supplied with blood exclusively via hepatic arteries. Obstruction of large arteries is rapidly compensated for by the opening of preexisting intrahepatic or transcapsular collateral arteries, which prevents ischemic damage. Ischemic bile duct injury may occur when small hepatic arteries or the peribiliary vascular plexus are injured, or when all possible arterial blood supplies are interrupted, as is the case in transplanted liver with hepatic artery thrombosis. Most causes of bile duct ischemia are iatrogenic. Systemic diseases involving small hepatic arteries may also be implicated. Depending on the extent and velocity of the arterial obstructive process, ischemic cholangiopathy may present as acute formation of biliary casts, bile duct necrosis, or chronic disease resembling primary sclerosing cholangitis. In many patients, correction of arterial obstruction is not possible. When biliary drainage or reconstruction is not possible or has failed, liver transplantation is the only means of providing potential cure.