Hepato Gastroenterol
-
Hepato Gastroenterol · Sep 2000
Review Case ReportsLeft hepatic duct injury and thoracobiliary fistula after abdominal blunt trauma.
Thoracobiliary fistula after blunt hepatic trauma is rare. We report a case of pleurobiliary fistula after a blunt hepatic trauma leading to a left hepatic lobe laceration together with a left hepatic duct injury. The management of this traumatic lesion is discussed and related to the existing literature data. ⋯ Demonstration of the presence of bile in the pleural cavity by thoracocentesis is considered a proof of pleural biliary fistula. We think that laparotomy is an appropriate route for the treatment of pleurobiliary fistulas. However, when a bronchobiliary fistula is suspected, the patient should be treated with thoracotomy and may require pulmonary resection to remove the fistulous tracts.