A 10-year-old boy presented to us with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. The patient
was stable on clinical examination. On ultrasound and computed tomography scan of
the abdomen he had persistent peritoneal collection with edematous pancreas. Abdominal
paracentesis revealed bile and 99m Tc HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid) scan
showed a biliary leak. A percutaneous drain was inserted for collection, and endoscopic
retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed. A spontaneous cystic duct
perforation was confirmed on ERCP and a biliary stent was inserted. The patient's
general condition improved, his percutaneous drain was removed on day 6 post ERCP
and the biliary stent removed after 3 months. The patient is asymptomatic and doing
well at 6 months’ follow up. Spontaneous perforation of a cystic duct is an extremely
rare condition with very few reported cases in the literature. Radionuclide scanning
and ERCP are reliable modes for diagnosis and localization of the site of the leak.
ERCP and biliary stenting are successful in the management of these patients.
spontaneous perforation of cystic duct - endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
(ERCP) - biliary stenting