Hemosuccus pancreaticus: a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis

Splenic Artery Embolization for Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Caused by Hemosuccus Pancreaticus

Hemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, characterized by upper gastrointestinal bleeding from the ampulla of Vater, often originating from a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the peripancreatic arteries. Despite its rarity, HP presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to its elusive clinical presentation and complex underlying pathophysiology. In this case report, we presented a compelling instance of HP, diagnosed in a 48-year-old man, complicated with gastrointestinal bleeding and severe anemia successfully managed with urgent endovascular intervention. We highlighted the importance of early recognition, prompt intervention, and interdisciplinary collaboration in achieving favorable outcomes in patients afflicted by this distinctly unusual condition.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus - Multidisciplinary therapy for a splenic artery aneurysm, ruptured into the pancreatic duct

BACKGROUND

Numerous conditions may lead to gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Compared with common causes, hemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) is a scarce and potentially life-threatening condition.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the case of a 45-year-old female patient who suffered from hematemesis and subsequent hemorrhagic shock. In repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopies, bleeding from the major duodenal papilla was detected. To stop the acute bleeding, an ERCP was performed, and a plastic stent was inserted into the pancreatic duct (PD). Subsequently, MR and CT scans demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery (SA) with a fistula to the PD. An interventional therapy approach failed due to a highly twisted course of the SA. Thus, the patient underwent surgery with ligation of the SA. The stent from the PD was removed postoperatively, and the patient recovered well. A histological examination of the SA revealed fibromuscular dysplasia. A lifelong ASA therapy was prescribed, and the patient was discharged on the 14th postoperative day in good condition.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis and treatment of HP might be impeded due to its multiple causes, ambiguous symptoms, and challenging diagnostic verification. Being a potentially life-threatening condition, the knowledge of this rare entity and the provision of multidisciplinary and multimodal therapy are mandatory for the successful treatment of patients with obscure GIB and proven HP.

Haemosuccus pancreaticus and seven episodes of recurrent unlocalised upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common medical condition that results in extensive morbidity and mortality, as well as substantial healthcare costs. While there is variation among society and consensus guidelines, the approaches to assessment and evaluation are generally consistent. Our case describes a man in his 40s who presented with seven episodes of recurrent upper GI bleeding over 2 years secondary to haemosuccus pancreaticus. While rare, this case study highlights key principles to the initial diagnostic approach that, in appropriate clinical contexts, should be applied to patients with unlocalised upper GI bleeding. We further perform a complete systematic review of similar cases available in PubMed (36 patients in 24 case reports) to further refine these diagnostic principles.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus as a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a life-threatening condition that should be considered in patients with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and high serum amylase. The varied presentation of hemosuccus pancreaticus and the limited literature evidence due to its rarity make it challenging to diagnose. Diagnostic modalities include contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans, endoscopic procedures (esophagoduodenoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and angiography. Therapeutic management through an interventional radiology using coil embolization is safe and effective in hemodynamically stable patients with hemosuccus pancreaticus. Endosonography can be an innovative approach for the diagnosis and treatment of patients in whom contrast cannot be administered; however, its safety and efficacy need to be confirmed by future studies. This review presents current views on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hemosuccus pancreaticus.

Getting Closer to an Underdiagnosed Disease: Hemosuccus Pancreaticus, a Rare Cause of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. It is mainly produced by bleeding from a pseudoaneurysm that runs through the pancreatic duct and flows into the second portion of the duodenum. This article presents a case of a patient in the sixth decade of life with upper gastrointestinal bleeding who underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen finding a pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery. Subsequently, angiography confirmed active bleeding from the pseudoaneurysm, requiring endovascular treatment by interventional radiology, which was successful with the resolution of the bleeding. In this article, our aim is to expand the information on this pathology and to promote the optimization of diagnostic tests for the timely treatment of this rare disease that is potentially life-threatening.

The Tale of a Bleeding Tree: A Rare Case of Peripancreatic Variceal Hemorrhage Causing Hemosuccus Pancreaticus

Hemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. It was described by Lawal and Farrel in 1931. This disorder has also been referred to as pseudohemobilia or wirsungorrhagia, caused by bleeding into the pancreatic duct. The rarity of this condition can pose a diagnostic challenge. HP is life-threatening and requires immediate attention. The commonly used treatment modality is coil embolization. Surgery is considered in the case of failed embolization or uncontrolled bleeding. Described below, is a case of a 72-year-old female with a history of chronic pancreatitis who presented with anemia secondary to bleeding peripancreatic varices.

Hemosuccus Pancreaticus: A Serious Complication of Chronic Pancreatitis

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding that usually presents with melena and abdominal pain. It is defined as a hemorrhage from the ampulla of Vater passing through the main pancreatic duct toward the second portion of the duodenum. Imaging is usually required to establish a diagnosis, and angiography continues to be the gold standard for both treatment and diagnosis. In some instances where bleeding is uncontrolled or if the patient is unstable, surgery may be required. Physicians should have a high index of suspicion, especially in patients with a history of chronic pancreatitis, as this diagnosis is associated with a very high mortality rate if left untreated. We report a case of a 67-year-old male with a known history of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic pseudocyst who presented with melena and right upper quadrant abdominal pain and was found to have hemosuccus pancreaticus secondary to a gastroduodenal artery bleed. He underwent successful angiographic embolization and was discharged home after ensuring resolution of bleed and improvement in symptoms.

Severe Gastrointestinal Bleeding Due to Hemosuccus Pancreaticus in Chronic Pancreatitis Treated With Percutaneous Trans-splenic Embolization

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a life-threatening but rare cause of intermittent upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by acute/subacute hemorrhage into a pancreatic duct or pancreatic pseudocyst because of a ruptured pseudoaneurysm. This entity is described in patients with pseudoaneurysms that develop in the context of severe pancreatic/peripancreatic inflammatory changes. Hemosuccus pancreaticus presents a difficult diagnostic and therapeutic conundrum because it tends to involve inflamed, friable, and tortuous vascular pathways. We present a rare case of hemosuccus pancreaticus because of splenic pseudoaneurysm presenting as duodenal hemorrhage and discuss trans-splenic embolization with a combined angiographic and ultrasound-guided approach.

Massive gastric bleeding - perforation of pancreatic pseudocyst into the stomach: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic pseudocyst may cause serious gastrointestinal complications including necrosis, infection, and perforation of the gastrointestinal tract wall, but massive gastric bleeding is very rare.

CASE

We report a rare case of a 49-year-old man with life-threatening gastric bleeding from a pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery perforating the stomach induced by pancreatic pseudocyst. During hospitalization, gastroscopy revealed a bare blood vessel in an ulcer-like depression of the greater gastric curvature, and computed tomography scan confirmed a pancreatic pseudocyst invading part of the spleen and gastric wall of the greater curvature. Arteriography showed that the bare blood vessel originated from a pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery. The bleeding was controlled by the trans-arterial embolization, the patient’s recovery was rapid and uneventful.

CONCLUSION

Massive gastrointestinal bleeding could be a rare complication of pancreatic pseudo aneurysm.

Outflow of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate into the Pancreatic Duct: Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for Hemosuccus Pancreaticus

A 54-year-old Japanese woman, hospitalized for recurrent chronic alcoholic pancreatitis, manifested bloody stools. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed active bleeding from the papilla of Vater. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) revealed a pseudoaneurysm in the pancreatic pseudocyst (hemosuccus pancreaticus). Angiography demonstrated pseudoaneurysm of the dorsal pancreatic artery branch. We selected N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) as an embolus material because of the existing coagulopathy and difficulty in selecting the arterial branch. The administered NBCA outflowed into the pancreatic duct over the pseudoaneurysm. However, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was successful, and no complication or rebleeding was observed after TAE. CECT showed NBCA cast in the pancreatic duct; however, the chronic pancreatitis improved. NBCA may be used to regulate hemosuccus pancreaticus in emergency settings; however, interventional radiologists must carefully consider the complications caused by NBCA.

Embolisation of branches of the superior mesenteric artery in the treatment of haemosuccus pancreaticus

Haemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) is an uncommon cause of upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, most often intermittent, making it difficult to diagnose, becoming fatal. It usually occurs in patients with chronic pancreatitis and is caused by the rupture of a visceral aneurysm within the main pancreatic duct. The association between pseudoaneurysm formation and pancreatitis is well established. Pseudoaneurysm occurs in 3.5%–10% of pancreatitis cases and its rupture is a rare but life-threatening complication of chronic pancreatitis occurring in 6%–8% of patients with pseudocysts and corresponds to less than 1% of cases of GI bleeding.

Its diagnosis is challenging, given the intermittent nature of bleeding. Angiographic therapy is considered the first-choice treatment, especially in patients who are stable haemodynamically. We present a case of embolisation of inferior pancreaticoduodenal branches with polyvinyl alcohol microparticles in the treatment of HP.

Hemosuccus Pancreaticus: A Rare Bleeding Pseudoaneurysm of the Inferior Pancreaticoduodenal Artery Treated with Embolization

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a very rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding and can be life-threatening if not managed appropriately. Still thought to be a surgical problem, advances in medical therapy now afford these patients the opportunity to undergo less-invasive angiography techniques to manage this illness when it occurs. Here, we present a case of hemosuccus pancreaticus safely managed with liquid N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate embolization.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus from superior mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm within perceived pancreatic mass

Bleeding from the pancreatic duct is a rare source of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and is referred to as hemosuccus pancreaticus. Often a result of pseudoaneurysm formation from chronic pancreatitis, hemosuccus pancreaticus is a difficult diagnosis due to its peculiar clinical presentation. This is a case of a 51-year-old male with a history of chronic pancreatitis, who initially presented with a pancreatic mass found on CT scan. The mass was found to be inconclusive for malignancy on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration. The patient subsequently was lost to follow-up and returned with melena and evidence of a superior mesenteric pseudoaneurysm in the previous mass on CT angiography. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated with endovascular embolization. Diagnosis of hemosuccus pancreaticus can be challenging due to the intermittent nature of hemorrhage and the variable clinical presentation-which initially appeared as a pancreatic neoplasm in our patient. Repeat imaging and angiography are invaluable for both the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding from an unknown source in the setting of chronic pancreatitis.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus: A mini-review

Determining the cause of obscure bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is the key in treating the disease. Hemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) could be an extremely rare disease. Ordinarily, bleeding in the pancreatic duct is defined as HP. At present, HP is the least frequent cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (1/1500), but can lead to massive gastrointestinal bleeding, which is potentially life threatening. Owing to its rarity, HP is difficult to diagnose, and the mortality rate of HP remains high in various studies. The purpose of this study is to expound on the basic symptoms and mechanisms of HP and to describe a potential significant examination method and treatment for usage in clinical practice.