Pseudoaneurysm of the cystic artery: a rare cause of hemobilia

Abstract

Aneurysms are a rare cause of hemobilia. The arteries most frequently involved are branches of the hepatic or gastroduodenal arteries. The authors report the case of a patient with hemobilia secondary to a pseudoaneurysm of the cystic artery. Only six other cases have been reported in the literature, and in all of them the condition was associated with inflammation of the gallbladder. Selective hepatic arteriography is the procedure of choice for diagnosis. Colour-Doppler ultrasonography aided in the diagnosis in the patient described in this report and may prove to be useful in equivocal cases. Cholecystectomy and ligation of the cystic artery with proximal control of the hepatic artery should be performed as soon as the diagnosis is made.