A Twisted Case Of Jaundice

Diaphragmatic hernias (DH) may be congenital or acquired in origin. Those causing obstructive jaundice in the elderly are extremely rare but can occur. These patients may present with painless jaundice, early satiety, and weight loss due to biliary tract obstruction and stomach compression by the hernia. Therefore, clinicians should consider an anatomic anomaly when evaluating patients with jaundice. Here, we report the case of a 71-year-old female, with a medical history of hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who presented with jaundice. The patient was found to have dilation of the common bile duct due to external mechanical compression of abdominal organs from a DH. Because the patient had poor functional status and multiple comorbidities, the risks of surgically correcting the hernia outweighed the benefits. The patient instead received a biliary decompression and stent, and her jaundice significantly improved.