|
IMMUNOLOGY
BACTERIOLOGY
VIROLOGY
PARASITOLOGY
MYCOLOGY
CONTRIBUTORS
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Real time PCR tutorial
|
Gastro Intestinal Infections
Dr Patsy Lill
Professor Emerita
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Bile
Duct Obstruction
A 57-year-old woman presented with complaints of fever,
chills, and RUQ pain, tachycardia, jaundice, and pruritis. She had a
history of recurrent biliary colic but her gallstones had passed without
intervention in the past. Her white count was 14.3 x 103/mm3. Her
bilirubin was elevated as was her alkaline phosphatase. AST and ALT were
mildly elevated and there was mild hepatomegaly. Ultrasound showed a
dilated common bile duct and a stone in the common bile duct. Her
urinalysis was normal. Blood cultures were done and grew Klebsiella.
Meanwhile, broadspectrum antibiotic therapy was begun and was changed
when the results of the blood cultures were obtained. She failed to
respond to antibiotic therapy and an endoscopic retrograde
cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was done. The presence of a stone lodged
in the common bile duct and partially obstructing the bile duct was
confirmed and the stone was removed. The patient continued to decline,
became septic, and died. The images below are of her liver.
|
Return to the Microbiology On-line Textbook front page
