A Case of Bronchobiliary Fistula after Right Hemihepatectomy

A 77-year-old woman admitted for further examination of a dilatated right posterior segmental bile duct was found in computed tomography (CT) and percutaneus transhepatic chorangiography to have the diagnosis confirmed, necessitating right hemihepatectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Chest X-ray on postoperative day (POD) 17 showed right pulumonary atelectasis and pleural effusion. CT showed a connection between right thoracic cavity and right subphrenic space, necessitating percutanous drainage of the right subphrenic space. Her sputum resembled bile, and drainage tubography showed bronchobiliary fistula. The fistula was resected and the postoperative course was uneventful. Only 5 reports of bronchobiliary fistula have, to our knowledge, been reported in the Japanese literature.