ABSTRACT
A 35-year-old man presented to our emergency room with asymptomatic jaundice. A physical exam revealed a palpable mass with audible bruit in the epigastrium. Total serum bilirubin was 21.7 mg%. A real time sonography/Doppler examination showed widening of the biliary tree (common bile duct diameter of 13 mm) and a mass in the pancreatic head with turbulent flow. Arteriography of the celiac axis revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery. A ligation of the gastroduodenal artery was performed surgically, and the aneurysmal cavity was explored and emptied. An intraoperative cholangiography showed slight stenosis of the common bile duct distally, and so a choledochojejunostomy was performed. The patient's recovery was uneventful. A follow-up angiogram revealed the short stump of the gastroduodenal artery and no aneurysm or extravasation of dye. A follow-up ultrasound showed the common bile duct measuring 5.5 mm. The bilirubin level dropped to normal values. The patient was discharged on 12 days after surgery. Ten months following surgery he was doing well. The pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of such cases are briefly discussed.
