Idiopathic common bile duct perforation: a case report.

Spontaneous or idiopathic perforation of the bile duct (IPBD) in neonates and infants is a rare disease. An 1-year-5-month-old female child admitted with progressive abdominal distension and generalized jaundice. She had previously been treated for bacterial peritonitis at another hospital by using strong antibiotics. Abdominal tapping revealed bilious ascites suggesting a possible biliary tree perforation and was later confirmed by the scintigraphy study. She was subsequently operated and recovered uneventfully. The mode of presentation, diagnosis and treatment are described and the literature reviewed.