Spontaneous rupture of the common bile duct.

Spontaneous rupture of the common bile duct in adults is very rare. The authors report only the 14th case in the Western literature. A 25-year-old woman had signs of peritonitis suggestive of a perforated appendix, but at operation the appendix appeared normal and a large amount of bile was found in the peritoneal cavity. A 2-mm tear was found on the anterior wall of the common bile duct. The patient recovered without complications after T-tube drainage and cholecystectomy. In this patient none of the factors thought to cause spontaneous rupture of the common bile duct were present, so the authors conclude that the case may be classified as idiopathic spontaneous rupture of the common bile duct.