Hepato- Biliary Ascariasis- Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in North East India

Abstract

Background: Hepatobiliary ascariasis is commonly reported from highly endemic regions like India, Bangladesh, Latin America, parts of Middle East and Africa. In humans, the usual habitat of Ascaris lumbricoides is the small intestine. When the worm load is high, then the worms tend to migrate away from the usual site and invade the biliary system. Material & Methods: Patients attending general surgery department of NEIGRIHMS hospital with biliary ascariasis and its complications were included in the study. Results: Most cases of biliary ascariasis can be managed conservatively. The worm usually returns to the intestine and only in complicated cases, some therapeutic interventions like ERCP or surgical management may be required. Conclusion: Biliary ascariasis may present with biliary colic or with various complications like cholangitis, acute pancreatitis, liver abscess, etc. Sonography has been shown to have a high diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of biliary ascariasis. Most of the patients can usually be managed conservatively, and surgery or ERCP are required only in a very limited number of cases.