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Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 16;11(23):5610-5614.
doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i23.5610.

Hemocholecyst caused by accidental injury associated with radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report

You-Wen Tan  1 , Xin-Yue Zhang  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Hemocholecyst caused by accidental injury associated with radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report

You-Wen Tan et al. World J Clin Cases. .

Abstract

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective and safe treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma that features a lower incidence of serious complications than surgical resection. Hemocholecyst caused by RFA is a rare complication of secondary damage to the intrahepatic bile duct that results in hemobilia.

Case summary: Here we report on a case of a hemocholecyst caused by accidental injury during RFA that induced hematemesis and melena. Digital subtraction angiography revealed no gallbladder arterial injuries. After conservative treatment and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, the patient's condition stabilized, and she was discharged 1 wk later.

Conclusion: Therefore, when performing interventional procedures such as RFA, clinicians must be vigilant because even minor injuries can lead to serious complications such as hemocholecyst.

Keywords: Case report; Complication; Hepatitis B; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Radiofrequency ablation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hemocholecyst formation. A: New hepatocellular carcinoma lesions in segment 8 (arrow); B: Radiofrequency electrode branch needle puncturing the gallbladder (arrow); C: Gallbladder volume increases with the newly emerging high-density fluid (arrows); D: No bleeding visible in the liver region and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization was performed (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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