Bile pulmonary embolism-related sudden death following an abdominal firearm injury: An autopsy case report and review of literature

This article reports a fatal BPE in a 12-year-old child who died 14  days following an abdominal firearm injury. The right lobe of the liver had a yellowish-green stained lacerated track along with bile collection. Both lungs were congested with peripheral dark areas in all lobes. Microscopically, many interstitial pulmonary arterioles were occluded by bile emboli along with the presence of hemorrhagic infarcts. Other than the present case, only 21 cases of BPE were published in the literature until the present day. The history of hepatic trauma and/or hepatobiliary disease in association with pulmonary manifestations points to BPE as a possible diagnosis. Ho wever, visualization of bile emboli within the pulmonary vessels is pathognomonic for BPE.
Source: Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology - Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research