Obstructive jaundice caused by hepatoma fragments in the common hepatic duct.

A 67-year-old black male diabetic who had never consumed alcohol presented with anorexia, weakness, weight loss, and jaundice. Ultrasound demonstrated common bile duct obstruction; computed tomography scanning revealed multiple liver masses; endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a filling defect; aortogram confirmed the neovascularity of tumor proliferation; and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography confirmed high-grade common duct obstruction. Operative intervention demonstrated hepatocellular emboli to the common bile duct causing obstruction. We review the literature on this problem.