Spontaneous Perforation of the Extrahepatic Bile Ducts in an Infant

Abstract

Spontaneous perforation of the extrapepatic bile ducts, with an accumulation of bile in the peritoneal cavity, is a rare condition. Nevertheless, it is second in frequency to biliary atresia as the cause of obstructive jaundice during the first year of life.1 Although approximately 60 cases of this condition have been described in the literature, it is only occasionally listed in pediatric textbooks. Nevertheless, it is important that the condition be recognized in time to perform lifesaving surgical intervention. We therefore consider it instructive to present a patient with the classic features of this condition who was cured by surgical treatment on the 29th day of life.