Delayed hemorrhage from hepatic artery after ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy: A case report

Percutaneous liver biopsy is considered one of the most important diagnostic tools to evaluate diffuse liver diseases. Pseudoaneurysm of hepatic artery is an unusual complication after ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy. Delayed hemorrhage occurs much less frequently. We report a case of pseudoaneurysm of the hepatic artery of a 46-year-old man who was admitted for abdominal pain after 4 d of liver biopsy. The bleeding was controlled initially by angiographic embolization. However, recurrent bleeding could not be controlled by repeat angiography, and the patient died 4 d after admission from multiorgan failure. The admittedly rare possibility of delayed hemorrhage should be considered whenever a liver biopsy is performed. (c) 2006 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.