Education and imaging : hepatobiliary and pancreatic : iatrogenic hemobilia

Hemobilia is a term that is used to describe bleeding into the biliary tract. The most common cause is bleeding after percutaneous biopsy of the liver. This complication can occur in up to 1% of patients and is more common in the elderly and in those who have multiple biopsies, particularly in the presence of liver tumors. Other causes for hemobilia include liver trauma, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, percutaneous biliary drains, hepatic artery or portal vein aneurysms, liver abscesses, gallstones and spontaneous bleeding from liver tumors, particularly hepatocellular carcinomas.