Emergency cholecystectomy and hepatic arterial repair in a patient presenting with haemobilia and massive gastrointestinal haemorrhage due to a spontaneous cystic artery gallbladder fistula masquerading as a pseudoaneurysm

Haemobilia usually occurs secondary to accidental or iatrogenic hepatobiliary trauma. It can occasionally present with cataclysmal upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage posing as a life threatening emergency. Haemobilia can very rarely be a complication of acute cholecystitis. Here we report a case of haemobilia manifesting as massive gastrointestinal haemorrhage in a patient without any prior history of biliary surgery or intervention and present a brief review of literature.

A 22 year old male admitted with history suggestive of acute cholecystitis subsequently developed waxing waning jaundice and recurrent episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleed. Endoscopy showed an ulcer in the first part of duodenum with a clot, no active bleed was visible. Angiography was suggestive of a ruptured pseudoaneurysm in the vicinity of the right hepatic artery probably originating from the cystic artery. Coil embolization was tried but the coil dislodged into the right branch of hepatic artery distal to the site of pseudoaneurysm. Review of angiographic video in light of operative findings demonstrated a fistulous communication between cystic artery and gallbladder as the cause, a simultaneous cholecystoduodenal fistula was also noted. Retrograde cholecystectomy, closure of cholecystoduodenal fistula and right hepatic arteriotomy with retrieval of the endo-coil and hepatic arterial repair was performed.

Fistula between the cystic artery and gallbladder has been commonly reported to occur after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Spontaneous fistulous communication, i.e. in the absence of any prior trauma or intervention, between cystic artery and gallbladder is rare with very few reports in literature. Aetiopathogenesis of the disease, in the context of current literature is reviewed. The diagnostic dilemma posed by the confounding finding of an ulcer in the duodenum, the iconic video angiographic depiction as also the therapeutic challenge of a failed embolization with consequent microcoil migration and primary hepatic arterial repair in the emergency situation is discussed.