• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.38-40
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• 2020

Bronchobiliary fistula is a rare disease defined as an abnormal connection between the biliary tract and the bronchial tree. We report the successful surgical repair of bronchobiliary fistula. A 78-year-old man underwent surgery and several rounds of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation as treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. He presented with greenish sputum and chronic cough for several months, and his symptoms did not resolve after endoscopic treatment. We performed lobectomy of the right lower lobe and omentopexy for bronchobiliary fistula under laparotomy and thoracotomy. The bronchobiliary fistula was successfully closed, and the bilious sputum disappeared after surgery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.684-687
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• 2000

Congenital bronchobiliary fistual is a rare disease with unclear etiology. An abnormal tract communicates the tracheobronchial junction to a hepatic segment, usually the left lobe. Billous sputum, a positive HIDA(o-Dimethyliminodiacetic acid) scan, and a trification at the level of the carina lead to the diagnosis, which can be confirmed by bronchoscopic contrast injection. We experienced a case of congenital bronchobiliary fistual in a 27-day-old girl. Our case is reported with literature reviews.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 2010

Bronchobiliary fistula is a rare disorder consisting of an abnormal communication between the bronchial tree and the biliary duct. In Western countries, trauma, postoperative biliary stenosis, and biliary lithiasis are the predominant causative factors of bronchobiliary fistula. Bilioptysis (bile stained sputum) is a pathognomic finding for bronchobiliary fistula. To date, there are just a few reported cases of bronchobiliary fistula after sclerosis of a liver cyst. We describe the case of a 74-year-old woman who developed bronchobiliary fistula after sclerosing therapy of a liver cyst. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of bilioptysis and the chest and dynamic liver CT findings. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics and percutaneous transhepatic catheter drainage.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.228-231
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• 2012

Bronchobiliary fistula (BBF), defined as an abnormal communication between the biliary duct and bronchial trees, is a very rare condition. Bilioptysis is a pathognomonic finding for BBF. We studied a 58-year-old man, who had a BBF complicated by liver biloma that occurred after radiofrequency ablation. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of bile-stained sputum and an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography. BBF was treated successfully by endoscopic sphincterotomy and biliary drainage with insertion of a double pig-tail plastic stent into the biloma. We suggest that the optimal choice of treatment modality for BBF depends on the natural course of the underlying disease, and the status of the biliary stricture.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.131-136
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• 2008

Cholethorax (bilious pleural effusion) is an extravasation of bile into the thoracic cavity via a pleurobiliary fistula (and also a bronchobiliary fistula). It is an extremely rare complication of thoraco-abdominal injuries. It can be caused by congenital anomaly and also by hepatobiliary trauma, severe infection or iatrogenic procedures. The definitive diagnosis is made with aspiration of bilious fluid from the pleural space during thoracentesis, by finding a fistulous tract during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or cholagioscopy, or with finding an abnormal pleural accumulation of radioisotope during hepatobiliary nuclear imaging. Its symptoms include coughing, fever, dyspnea and pleuritc chest pain. Herein we report on a case of cholethorax following performance of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) to remove incidentally discovered common bile duct (CBD) stones.