Pancreatitis with an unusual fatal complication following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography has been the treatment of choice for stones in the common bile duct. Although the procedure is usually safe, procedure-related complications do occur. Case presentation: A case of pancreatitis following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography is described in a 55-year-old woman. After an uneventful recovery the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly 16 days after the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography, and the patient died within 1 hour. Post-mortem examination revealed massive intrapulmonary fat embolism. The complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography and pancreatitis are described. Conclusion: Fat embolism can occur after the remission of pancreatitis and pancreatic necrosis may be overlooked on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scanning. © 2008 Kanen and Loffeld; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.