RESUMEN
This challenging condition has scarcely been reported on. A 56-year-old woman was admitted with jaundice, and laboratory data were indicative of pancreatitis, which recurred in spite of adequate clinical and nutritional management. The patient was an overweight diabetic using metformin, who had antecedents of cholelithiasis and recent cholecystectomy. Clinical and laboratory features were not conclusive about the cause of this acute pancreatitis. However, imaging data contributed to diagnosis suspicion, and the histopathology study of the transpapillary biopsy confirmed the ampullary adenocarcinoma. Whipple's surgery was the procedure of choice, associated with radical lymphadenectomy, followed by an uneventful outcome. Recrudescence of signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis, with elevated serum levels of bilirrubins and of hepatic canalicular enzymes, should enhance the suspicion index about periampullary tumors. High levels of CA 19-9 can constitute a useful marker of this condition. Transpapillary biopsy can characterize the diagnosis of ampullary malignancies.
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/complicaciones , Ampolla Hepatopancreática , Neoplasias del Conducto Colédoco/complicaciones , Pancreatitis/complicaciones , Enfermedad Aguda , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Hepatic artery aneurysms are scarcely reported, mainly because of non-specific symptoms. More often, they are incidental findings during imaging studies to investigate other acute or chronic abdominal conditions. These aneurysms are usually detected in the sixth decade of life, predominantly among males. We report the case of a 69 year-old female with an unsuspected huge hepatic artery aneurysm associated with ischemic hepatitis. Suspicion of aneurysm arose during imaging studies to clarify the origin of jaundice and abdominal pain. After establishment of the diagnosis, but before open surgery, there was a spontaneous rupture of the aneurysm, which caused hemoperitoneum and death. The necropsy study confirmed ischemic hepatitis. Hepatic artery aneurysms are second among the visceral aneurysms, and may cause abdominal pain, jaundice, and hemorrhagic events. One should suspect abdominal aneurysms in elderly patients with unclear abdominal pain, and this hypothesis should be ruled out by imaging studies.