Pneumobilia Caused by Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Abstract

department after a car accident. He was driving at 50 kilometers per hour and was not wearing a seatbelt. There was no clinical sign of thoracic or abdominal lesion. Initially, only a cerebral computed tomography (CT) was performed and did not show any lesion, but the clinical course was marked by sepsis, hypotension and confusion. Later on, a contrast-enhanced thoraco-abdominal CT was carried out (Figure 1) and showed liver laceration (asterisks) that involved the middle hepatic vein, subcapsular liver hematoma (white crosses), haemoperitoneum, rib fractures and pneumobilia (arrows). There was also a large duodenal diverticulum (DD). The patient was conservatively managed in intensive care unit. The clinical and radiological outcome was good, with progressive regression of hepatic traumatic lesions and pneumobilia until the last follow-up CT at day 75 (Figure 2).