[Arterial embolization of an arteriovenous fistula with hemobilia after blind liver puncture].

Five days after percutaneous liver biopsy we observed in a 42-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis severe hemobilia requiring transfusions of packed red cells. By means of super-selective arterial embolization, using gelfoam, the bleeding source, an av-fistula, was successfully occluded. Iatrogenic hemobilia, although seen after percutaneous liver biopsy only in app. 0.005% of the cases, is today the most important cause of biliary bleeding, mainly as a complication (app. 3% of the cases) of the widespread use of interventional procedures of the biliary tree (e.g. PTCD). Therapeutically arterial embolization should be considered first if possible.