IntroductionFasciola hepatica, an endemic parasite common in Iraq and its neighboring countries, is a very rare cause of cholestasis worldwide. Humans can become definitive hosts of this parasite through their ingestion of a contaminated water plant, for example, contaminated watercress. Symptoms of cholestasis may appear suddenly and, in some cases, are preceded by long periods of fever, eosinophilia, and vague gastrointestinal symptoms. Here we report the case of a woman with a sudden onset of symptoms of cholangitis. Her infection was proved by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography to be due to Fasciola hepatica infestation.Case presentationA 38-year-old Kurdish woman from the northern region of Iraq presented with fever, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and jaundice. An examination of the patient revealed elevated total serum bilirubin and liver enzymes. An ultrasonography also showed a dilatation of her common bile duct. During endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, a filling defect was identified in her common bile duct. After sphincterotomy and balloon extraction, one live Fasiola hepatica was extracted and physically removed.ConclusionFasciola hepatica should be a part of the differential diagnosis of common bile duct obstruction. When endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is available, the disease can be easily diagnosed and treated.

BackgroundFascioliasis is an often-neglected zoonotic disease and currently is an emerging infection in Iraq. Fascioliasis has two distinct phases, an acute phase, exhibiting the hepatic migratory stage of the fluke’s life cycle, and a chronic biliary phase manifested with the presence of the parasite in the bile ducts through hepatic tissue. The incidence of Fascioliasis in Sulaimaniyah governorate was unexpected observation. We believe that shedding light on this disease in our locality will increase our physician awareness and experience in early detection, treatment in order to avoid unnecessary surgeries.FindingsWe retrospectively evaluated this disease in terms of the demographic features, clinical presentations, and managements by reviewing the medical records of 18 patients, who were admitted to the Sulaimani Teaching Hospital and Kurdistan Centre for Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Patients were complained from hepatobiliary and/or upper gastrointestinal symptoms and diagnosed accidentally with Fascioliasis during hepatobiliary surgeries and ERCP by direct visualization of the flukes and stone analysis. Elevated liver enzymes, white blood cells count and eosinophilia were notable laboratory indices. The dilated CBD, gallstones, liver cysts and abscess were found common in radiological images. Fascioliasis diagnosed during conventional surgical CBD exploration and choledochodoudenostomy, open cholecystectomy, surgical drainage of liver abscess, ERCP and during gallstone analysis.ConclusionFascioliasis is indeed an emerging disease in our locality, but it is often underestimated and ignored. We recommend the differential diagnosis of patients suffering from Rt. Hypochondrial pain, fever and eosinophilia. The watercress ingestion was a common factor in patient’s history.

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Background: Esophageal perforation is a rare, but potentially life threatening injury. The etiology and management of this condition have changed overtime. Iatrogenic causes are increasingly recognized and management is evolving towards more conservative approaches. Objective: To review our experience in the management of esophageal perforation in pediatric patients. Patients and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Kurdistan center for gastroenterology and hepatology in Sulaimani city. Review of records for cases of esophageal perforation during the period from January 2006 to October 2013 was performed. Results: Ten cases were found to have esophageal perforation. The causes of esophageal perforation were complications of endoscopic dilation for esophageal stricture (n = 7), button battery ingestion (n = 2), complication of esophagoscopy for corrosive injury (n = 1). The mean age was 42 months (range, 18-75 months). The diagnosis was made during the procedure in 6 cases, within 12 hours in 2 cases and late in the two cases of battery ingestion. Subcutaneous emphysema and respiratory distress were the main pre-* Corresponding author. A. M. H. Hamawandi et al. 222 senting features. The location of perforation was thoracic in 9 cases and cervical in 1 case. Conservative management was successful in 7 patients and surgical closure was done in two patients. One death has been reported. Conclusion: Iatrogenic causes were the most common causes of esophageal perforation. Conservative management with interventions guided by clinical response can have a favorable outcome and may become the best initial treatment strategy in the future. Further larger scale studies are recommended to establish the best protocol for conservative management.