Primary aorto-duodenal fistula is a rare and life-threatening cause of upper gastro-intestinal bleed. In this case report, a patient presented acutely with several episodes of haematochezia and pulseless lower limbs bilaterally. Primary aorto-duodenal fistula with peripheral vascular disease was diagnosed after an urgent CT angiogram was performed. She underwent left axillo-bifemoral bypass, resection of the fistula, Rouxen-Y gastro-jejunostomy, pyloric exclusion and controlled duodenal fistula the following day.
The duodenum is the most common site of cholecystoenteric fistulation resulting from cholecystitis or empyema of the gallbladder. This rare condition is usually only diagnosed intraoperatively and managed incidentally. This paper presents the endoscopic diagnosis of a case of cholecystoduodenal fistula arising from the late presentation of empyema of the gallbladder and its subsequent drainage through the fistula. As far as we can determine, this is the only reported case of opportunistic drainage of an empyema of the gallbladder through a concurrent cholecystoduodenal fistula.
Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant tumour in infancy originating in about 70% of cases in the adrenal gland. Haemorrhage and necrosis is often seen in neuroblastoma but cyst formation is uncommon. Fistulous communication between an adrenal cystic neuroblastoma and the large bowel has never to our knowledge been reported before.
A biliary fistula which may occur spontaneously or after surgery, is an abnormal communication from the biliary system to an organ, cavity or free surface. Spontaneous biliary-enteric fistula is a rare complication of gallbladder pathology, with over 90% of them secondary to cholelithiasis. Approximately 6% are due to perforating peptic ulcers. Symptoms of biliary-enteric fistula varies widely and usually non-specific, mimicking any chronic biliary disease. Cholecystoduodenal fistula causing severe upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleed is very rare. Bleeding cholecystoduodenal fistula commonly requires surgical resection of the fistula and repair of the duodenal perforation. We describe the case of a previously healthy older patient who initially presented with symptoms suggestive of UGI bleeding. Bleeding could not be controlled endoscopically. When a laparotomy was performed, a cholecystoduodenal fistula was discovered and bleeding was noted to originate from the superficial branch of cystic artery.
Fistula formation following pelvic surgery and radiotherapy, including ureteric-arterial fistulas (UAF), is well documented, however, ureteric-arterial-enteric fistula is extremely rare. Conventional autopsy is usually required for the definitive diagnosis of pelvic vascular fistulas although an accurate diagnosis can still be complicated and challenging. The role of post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) as an adjunct to conventional autopsy is well documented in the literature. One of the limitations of PMCT is the diagnosis of vascular conditions. Post-mortem computed tomography angiography (PMCTA) is a recently introduced technique that can assist in detecting such pathology. We present a case of post-radiotherapy ureteric-arterial-enteric fistula presenting as massive rectal and vaginal bleeding diagnosed prior to autopsy on PMCTA. The role of PMCTA in the diagnosis of such a UAF has not previously been reported in the literature.