No abstract

This review analyzes data regarding liver injury associated with COVID-19 infection. We discuss reported effects on the liver from both COVID-19 and COVID-19 treatment as well as pathophysiology, review the potential role of drug-induced liver injury as an etiology of COVID-19-associated liver injury, and touch on other reports of significant outcomes including COVID-19 cholangiopathy and autoimmune hepatitis. Finally, we review the implications of COVID-19 infection in liver transplant recipients.

Here, we present a case of Bouveret syndrome, a rare etiology of gallstone impaction in the setting of choleenteric fistula, in a cirrhotic patient. This syndrome is most often seen in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities and as such has high morbidity and mortality rates. Because of its prevalence in this patient population and its rarity, there are no established guidelines for the workup and management of this disease. We discuss currently available options for management and thoughts on our comorbid patient and her clinical course.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon and severe extra-intestinal manifestation (EIM) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Head or scalp involvement in this condition is exceedingly rare. Approximately one-third of presentations can be precipitated by skin trauma or infection, a phenomenon known as pathergy. These ulcers develop acutely, do not necessarily correlate with IBD activity, and can precede IBD diagnosis. Here, we present an atypical presentation of PG that became a cornerstone finding in the subsequent diagnosis of IBD.

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMids), such as thalidomide and lenalidomide, are used to treat plasma cell neoplasms and B-cell malignancies. We present a case of severe direct hyperbilirubinemia in a patient taking lenalidomide-based therapy for plasmacytoma. Imaging was unrevealing, and liver biopsy showed only mild sinusoidal dilation. Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment (RUCAM) score was 6, indicating lenalidomide was a probable cause of the injury. To our knowledge, this is the highest reported direct bilirubin regarding lenalidomide drug-induced liver injury (DILI), with a peak bilirubin of 41mg/dL. While a clear pathophysiology was not identified, this case provides important considerations regarding lenalidomide safety.