Rupture du foie en péripartum: à propos de huit cas

An infrequently encountered case of spontaneous subcapsular liver hematoma with hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) is a rare complication of liver trauma and liver transplant, and spontaneous subcapsular liver hematoma is not frequently encountered outside the setting of preeclampsia and hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme and low platelet (HELLP) syndrome. We report a rare case of spontaneous subcapsular liver hematoma with hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm without any apparent liver trauma or recent interventional procedures of the hepatobiliary system. Although subcapsular hepatic hematoma and HAP are uncommon diagnoses, clinicians should be aware of these diagnoses to promptly diagnose and effectively treat them. Clinicians should also not forget these diseases could be masked by other common etiologies, such as gastritis.

Hepatic Rupture Induced by Spontaneous Intrahepatic Hematoma

The etiology of hepatic rupture is usually secondary to trauma, and hepatic rupture induced by spontaneous intrahepatic hematoma is clinically rare. We describe here a 61-year-old female patient who was transferred to our hospital with hepatic rupture induced by spontaneous intrahepatic hematoma. The patient had no history of trauma and had a history of systemic lupus erythematosus for five years, taking a daily dose of 5 mg prednisone for treatment. The patients experienced durative blunt acute right upper abdominal pain one day after satiation, which aggravated in two hours, accompanied by dizziness and sweating. Preoperative diagnosis was rupture of the liver mass. Laparotomy revealed 2500 mL fluid consisting of a mixture of blood and clot in the peritoneal cavity. A 3.5 cm × 2.5 cm rupture was discovered on the hepatic caudate lobe near the vena cava with active arterial bleeding, and a 5  × 6 cm hematoma was reached on the right posterior lobe of the liver. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) and laparotomy revealed spontaneous rupture of intrahepatic hematoma with hemorrhagic shock. The patient was successfully managed by suturing the rupture of the hepatic caudate lobe and clearing part of the hematoma. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after two weeks of hospitalization.

Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and hepatic rupture

OBJECTIVE

To review case reports of hepatic hematoma/rupture in women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.

METHODS

MEDLINE, SciELO, and LILACS databases were searched for case reports of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia with hepatic hematoma/rupture. Only articles written in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese and published between 1990 and 2010 were reviewed.

RESULTS

In total, 180 cases of hepatic hematoma or rupture were identified: 18 (10.0%) with subcapsular hematoma without hepatic rupture; and 162 (90.0%) with capsule rupture. Twelve (6.7%) cases were associated with eclampsia plus hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome. Average age was 30.9 ± 5.0 years, 74/129 (57.4%) women were parous, and cesarean delivery was performed in 132/162 (81.5%) cases. The right lobule was the most frequently affected 77/100 (77.0%). The total maternal mortality rate was 22.2% during the 21 years; however, it decreased to 16.4% in the last decade studied. The perinatal mortality rate was 30.7% and was very similar during the 2 decades.

CONCLUSION

HELLP syndrome is a frequent diagnosis (92.8%) in hepatic hemorrhage/rupture. The major reduction in maternal mortality rate was probably associated with advances in resuscitation, intensive-care medicine, and surgical intervention, including liver transplantation and arterial embolization.

Hepatic rupture in hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Rupture of hepatic hematoma associated with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome is a catastrophic complication of pregnancy. Maternal and fetal mortality rates are still high despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to present our experience at two referral centers for hepatic disease and to compare it with cases from the literature.

METHODS

We reviewed nine cases that occurred over the past 6 years in our centers and made an extensive literature review covering the past 10 years. We reviewed and compared multiple outcomes for all these cases.

RESULTS

The median maternal age of our patients was 29 years (interquartile range 27-32). Embolization treatment was used with seven of nine (78%) of our patients compared with 5 of 88 (6%) in the literature (P<.001). Our maternal and fetal mortality rates were 0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0-34%) and 30% (95% CI 7-65%), respectively, compared with 17% (95% CI 10-26%) and 38% (95% CI 31-52%]) from our review of the literature from 2000 to 2010.

CONCLUSION

The use of hepatic artery embolization to address hepatic rupture associated with HELLP syndrome may help minimize morbidity and maternal mortality.

An obscure case of hepatic subcapsular hematoma

Spontaneous liver bleeding is often reported in preeclampsia. It is otherwise rare and has been linked to gross anatomical lesions and coagulopathy. We report a case of subcapsular hematoma of the liver without any apparent lesion and in the absence of coagulopathy. A 41-year-old male, paraplegic for 16 years, presented to the emergency department 3 days after sudden onset of right upper quadrant and shoulder pain. He had been on vitamins and 5,000 units subcutaneous heparin 12-hourly at the nursing home for the last month. He was in no distress, afebrile, with stable vitals. Physical examination showed a diverting colostomy, tender hepatomegaly and sacral decubiti. A fecal occult blood test was negative. There was spastic paraplegia below the level of T12. Two days after admission, the patient was afebrile and hemodynamically stable. PTT, PT, liver profile, BUN and creatinine were all normal, however his hemoglobin had dropped from 11.3 to 7.6 g/dl. An abdominal CT scan revealed an isolated 9.0 × 1.8 cm subcapsular hematoma. The patient received blood transfusion in the intensive care unit and was discharged 7 days later. In conclusion, spontaneous liver hemorrhage occurs in the nonobstetrical population in the setting of gross anatomical lesions or coagulopathy. This is the first report of an isolated subcapsular liver hematoma.