Case Report
Copyright ©2013 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 16, 2013; 1(1): 41-43
Published online Apr 16, 2013. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v1.i1.41
Fulminant sepsis after liver biopsy: A long forgotten complication?
Corinna Claudi, Martin Henschel, Jürgen Vogel, Michael Schepke, Erwin Biecker
Corinna Claudi, Martin Henschel, Michael Schepke, Erwin Biecker, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, HELIOS Klinikum Siegburg, 53129 Siegburg, Germany
Jürgen Vogel, Institute of Pathology, Schlossstrasse 18, 53840 Troisdorf, Germany
Author contributions: Claudi C and Biecker E wrote the paper; Vogel J performed pathological examinations; Henschel M and Schepke M were attending doctors for the patient.
Correspondence to: Erwin Biecker, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, HELIOS Klinikum Siegburg, Ringstr. 49, 53129 Siegburg, Germany. erwin.biecker@helios-kliniken.de
Telephone: +49-2241-187079 Fax: +49-2241-182486
Received: January 4, 2013
Revised: January 13, 2013
Accepted: February 7, 2013
Published online: April 16, 2013
Abstract

We report on a 74-year-old patient with recurrent cholangitis and a large juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum. Despite drainage of the common bile duct by an endoscopically placed stent, the elevated liver enzymes normalized only partially. To rule out other possible causes of liver injury, a percutaneous liver biopsy was done. After the liver biopsy the patient developed fulminant septic shock and died within 24 h. We discuss the possible causes of the septic shock following percutaneous liver biopsy in our patient and give a concise overview of the literature.

Keywords: Liver biopsy, Cholangitis, Septic shock

Core tip: This case report deals with a patient in whom percutaneous liver biopsy was performed for further work-up of elevated liver enzymes. Immediately after biopsy, the patient developed fulminant sepsis and died. Possible reasons that might have caused sepsis in this patient as well as strategies to prevent sepsis/infection following percutaneous liver biopsy are discussed.