Traumatic hemobilia: a complication of percutaneous liver biopsy.

Two patients with hemobilia are presented. The first patient, with alcoholic liver disease, had a percutaneous liver biopsy. Subsequently he developed jaundice, with an enlarged tender gallbladder, biliary colic, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Hemobilia was demonstrated by superselective hepatic angiography and bleeding was stopped by intraarterial infusion of epinephrine and propranolol. The second patient, with primary biliary cirrhosis at an advanced stage, had a percutaneous liver biopsy followed by gastrointestinal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, and finally death. In both cases hemobilia was suggested by gastroduodenoscopy.