Accidental cannulation of the hepatic artery following needle-knife sphincterotomy

The use of needle-knife sphincterotomy has become an established technique for precut sphincterotomy to achieve am otherwise inaccessible bile duct. The present case report describes an accidental cannulation of the proper hepatic artery following needle-knife sphincterotomy. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) was performed for diagnosis and treatment of a pancreatitis presumably caused by cholelithiasis. After guide-wire placement and angiography of the artery through the papilla, there were no further complications. The distance between the catheter and the hepatic hilus was seen under X-ray control.