[Massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage with anastomosis rupture in pseudoaneurysm of the common hepatic artery follow pancreaticoduodenectomy. An unusual, severe complication].

Surgery of pancreatic and biliary tract carcinomas includes an extensive surgical dissection with removal of all neural and lymphoid tissue together with a skeletonization of hepatoduodenal structures. Skeletonization or autodigestion may lead to pseudaneurysms of perihepatic arteries. Rupture of one of these aneurysms may cause a severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Only a few cases of these serious complications are reported in literature.