Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm with hemobilia following angioplasty after liver transplantation.

A 58-yr-old female with primary biliary cirrhosis underwent an uncomplicated orthotopic liver transplantation. Elevated liver function tests 2 months post-transplantation were evaluated with Doppler ultrasound and a hepatic artery stricture was documented. The hepatic artery stenosis was treated with angioplasty. She developed hemobilia 1 d after the procedure, which was confirmed by angiography. Emergent exploratory laparotomy revealed a pseudoaneurysm at the hepatic artery anastomosis. The pseudoaneurysm was resected and the proper hepatic artery of the graft was anastomosed to the splenic artery of the host using preserved homograft. Her post-operative course was uneventful and liver function tests returned to normal quickly after the surgery. This report will discuss the unusual nature of this complication, and review the problem of hemobilia and pseudoaneurysms in liver transplant recipients.