Fever, abdominal pain, and liver dysfunction are almost inevitable complications of transcatheter arterial chemo embolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma, but these symptoms may also be due to bile duct obstruction caused by shedding of necrotic tumor material into the bile duct. A 68-year-old man presented with persistent fever, liver dysfunction, and abdominal pain after TACE. Computed tomography revealed stone-like hyperdensities in the bile duct. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed these structures to be necrotic material from hepatocellular carcinoma. We believe this is an instructive case of an often overlooked situation.
Keywords: Cholangitis; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Post-embolization syndrome; Transcatheter arterial chemo embolization (TACE).
© 2024. Japanese Society of Gastroenterology.