Fatal Cerebral Venous Air Embolism during Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography - Case Report and Review of the Literature

摘要

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a routine minimally invasive technique for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. According to a multicenter study in 1998, the rate of major complications was 1.38 % in diagnostic and 5.4 % in therapeutic ERCPs; fatal complications occurred in 0.21 and 0.49 % respectively [1] and were even lower in centers with high case volumes. Major complications include pancreatitis, cholangitis, duodenal perforation, hemorrhage, and the exceedingly rare event of systemic air embolism.