Complete embolisation of the proper hepatic artery for delayed haemorrhage after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a case report

Postpancreatectomy haemorrhage (PPH) is a rare and life-threatening complication that can occur after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Recently, radiological intervention has become a first-line approach for the diagnosis and treatment of late PPH in haemodynamically stable patients. Surgical intervention should be performed in haemodynamically unstable patients. We report the case of a 54-year-old man who underwent PD for ampullary carcinoma. On postoperative day (POD) 20, he developed a late PPH in the context of pancreatic fistula that was accompanied by hypotension and tachycardia. Therefore, emergency relaparotomy was performed, but the bleeding site was not detected due to severe adhesions in the surgical field. Thus, urgent angiography was performed immediately, and active bleeding was detected from the distal part of the proper hepatic artery. Coil embolisation of the proper hepatic artery trunk was successfully performed. No intrahepatic abscess or liver failure was subsequently observed, and the patient left our hospital on POD 27. This case shows that radiological intervention is a first choice for the diagnosis and treatment of haemodynamically stable late PPH and that it also might still be a first choice and also be safer and more effective than surgical intervention even with unstable haemodynamics.