Unsuccessful Stent Graft Repair of a Hepatic Artery Aneurysm Presenting with Haemobilia: Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review

Hepatic Artery Aneurysms in Infective Endocarditis: Report of 10 Cases and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Hepatic artery aneurysms (HAAs), albeit rare in infective endocarditis (IE), are associated with a life-threatening morbidity.

METHODS

Retrospective review of 10 HAA-IE patients based on a total of 623 IE patients managed in 2 institutions (2008-2020) versus 35 literature cases.

RESULTS

In our patient population, HAAs (10 males, mean age 48) were incidentally found during IE workup. All were asymptomatic. IE involved mitral (n = 6), aortic (n = 3), or mitral-aortic valve (n = 1). Predisposing factors for IE were as follows: prosthetic valve (n = 6), previous IE (n = 2), IV drug user (n = 1). Streptococcus species (spp.) were predominant (n = 4), then staphylococcus spp (n = 2) and E. faecalis (n = 2). All patients presented associated lesions: infectious aneurysms (n = 5), emboli (n = 9), abscesses (n = 5), and spondylitis/spondylodiscitis (n = 2). HAA patterns on abdominal CT angiography (CTA) were solitary (70%), mean diameter 11.7 mm (range 2-30), intrahepatic location (100%) involving the right HA in 9 out of 10 (90%) patients. In 2 patients, HAAs were complicated (rectorragia and hemobilia in 1, cholestasis in the other). Six patients underwent endovascular hepatic embolization (2 with multiple HAAs). Three HAA-IEs <15 mm resolved under antibiotherapy on abdominal CTA follow-up. All patients underwent cardiac surgery. Late outcome was favorable in all followed patients (5/10). Literature review showed the preponderance of Streptococcus spp., of right lobe and intrahepatic HAA localization. Complications revealed HAAs in patients under antibiotic therapy and/or after cardiac surgery in 17 literature cases of delayed diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Abdominal CTA was pivotal in the initial IE workup. Small aneurysms (≤15 mm) resolved under antibiotherapy. The usual treatment modality was HAA embolization and endovascular embolization before valve surgery was safe.

Combined Endovascular Repair of a Giant Symptomatic Hepatic Aneurysm: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review

Hepatic artery aneurysms (HAAs) are an uncommon vascular disease, which account for 20% of visceral artery aneurysms. The majority are usually asymptomatic and discovered accidentally during imaging control, but occasionally, they can present as acute abdominal pain, haemobilia, obstructive jaundice, or gastrointestinal bleeding due to aneurysm sac expansion or rupture with catastrophic consequences. We present the case of a 51-year-old male patient with a giant common HAA of 11.1 cm who was managed endovascularly. A combined endovascular approach was decided due to the anatomy of the aneurysm. Endovascular embolization with coils in the distal part of the aneurysm and deployment of a stent graft proximally to exclude inflow were used. At six months, the aneurysm size was regressed at 5 cm; however, seven months after the operation, the patient presented with pylorus perforation due to coil migration which was managed by coil removal, peripheral gastrectomy, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. We provide a narrative literature review regarding the endovascular repair of giant HAAs. The PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles up to January 2024. Thirty-eight studies (case reports, case series) were retrieved. The conclusion is that giant HAAs are a rare and severe condition in which their treatment can be challenging with unexpected adverse events. The literature review suggests that the endovascular approach whenever feasible is a safe and effective treatment option with low morbidity and mortality.

[Hemobilia as a sign of arterio-biliary fistula]

Hepatic artery aneurysms (HAA) are rare (20% of all visceral arteries). Most often, HAAs are asymptomatic and detected at autopsy. However, their ruptures and/or bleeding following pressure ulcers in visceral gastrointestinal organs are a significant clinical and diagnostic problem. We present 2 patients with obstructive jaundice and hemobilia. Diagnostics revealed aneurysm of the right hepatic artery with arterio-biliary fistula. Life-threatening hemobilia is a consequence of HAA rupture into biliary system. Endovascular approach is preferable for HAA without clinical manifestations. Awareness of this disease is important for early detection and active surgical intervention before possible complications.

Rapid identification of source of delayed hemobilia following endoscopic metallic stenting for malignant biliary obstruction

Delayed hemobilia, a rare but potentially fatal complication of endoscopic metallic stenting for malignant biliary obstruction, requires prompt identification of the source of bleeding and subsequent embolization. However, hemobilia is characteristically intermittent, and computed tomography (CT) often fails to show pseudoaneurysms or extravasations. In particular, because the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery (PSPDA) runs alongside the common bile duct for its whole length, it is readily obscured by metallic artifacts in that duct, such as stents, making identification of the source of bleeding by CT difficult. We have encountered three patients with delayed hemobilia from the PSPDA following endoscopic biliary stenting for malignant biliary obstruction in whom no extravasation or pseudoaneurysms were detected by contrast-enhanced CT during bleeding. However, when we identified that the PSPDA had a smaller diameter than in previous CTs in all three cases, we suspected that the PSPDA was the source of the bleeding. No extravasation or pseudoaneurysms were detected with celiac arteriography or superior mesenteric arteriography; however, extravasation and pseudoaneurysms were detected by direct PSPDA angiography. Hemostasis was achieved through embolization. Detecting a large decrease in the diameter of the PSPDA on contrast-enhanced CT during biliary bleeding may help to identify the source of that bleeding.