A Spontaneous Pneumobilia Observed after Severe Vomiting in a Patient with CBD Stone / 대한소화기내시경학회지

ABSTRACT

Pneumobilia almost always indicates an abnormal communication between the biliary and gastrointestinal systems. Air may occasionally enter the biliary tract in a retrograde fashion through the papilla. Transient incompetence of the sphincter of Oddi, which is produced by the passage of small biliary stones, is one rare mechanism that can explain pneumobilia. We present here a case of spontaneous pneumobilia after sphincter disruption that was presumably caused by the passage of biliary stone. A 37-year-old woman visited our hospital with the symptom of right upper quadrant pain. The pain subsided after she had an episode of severe vomiting. Plain abdominal radiography revealed that air filled the branches of the hepatic ducts, and the common bile duct had a large filling defect. We also include a review of the related literature.