Obstructive jaundice due to a blood clot after ERCP: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is one of the most frequently performed procedures for the treatment of biliary-pancreatic diseases. The most frequent complications of ERCP include pancreatitis, haemorrhage, perforation and cholangitis. While post-ERCP biliary bleeding leading to biliary obstruction is rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We herein report a case of exceptional post-ERCP cholangitis due to a blood clot in the common bile duct (CBD). This case involves a 75-year-old woman with a history of recurring upper abdominal pain. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) revealed dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct with stones at the lower CBD. After ERCP, clearance of stones was obtained. The post-ERCP course was symptomatic with upper abdominal pain and a significant increase in cholestatic parameters. A second CT scan demonstrated a markedly dilated biliary tree with a longitudinal high-density image at the middle CBD. The patient was successfully treated with a repeated ERCP, and a blood clot was extracted. We also present a review of the literature published between 1985 and 2016 in PubMed. Four similar cases were reported during this period from France, Turkey, the USA and the UK, separately. Our case is the first reported in China. CONCLUSIONS: Post-ERCP biliary bleeding leading to biliary obstruction is rare. We describe a rare case of post-ERCP cholangitis due to a blood clot in the common bile duct (CBD), which is consistent with most clinical presentations of similar cases already described. An analysis of the possible pathophysiological mechanisms and a review of the current literature are provided. We attempt to attract clinicians’ attention to the differential diagnosis of post-ERCP obstruction. The complications might be severe or even fatal. The diagnosis of blood clot is based on clinical and laboratory data, particularly imaging. Repeated ERCP is often necessary and effective.