We report a case series of four patients diagnosed with COVID-19-associated secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC), a recently described rare late complication of severe COVID-19. Following prolonged stays in the intensive care unit, these patients developed marked sustained cholestasis and jaundice despite clinical improvement. Cholangiography showed beaded appearance of intra-hepatic bile ducts and bile casts were removed in one patient. None of the patients reached normalization of liver enzymes and at least one progressed to liver cirrhosis (follow-up time of 11 to 16 months). COVID-19-associated SSC has a dismal prognosis with rapid progression to advanced chronic liver disease.
Keywords: COVID-19; Case series; Cholangiopathy; Secondary sclerosing cholangitis.
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