CASE REPORT Spontaneous hemoperitoneum, due to bleeding from retroperitoneal varices, in a cirrhotic patient: a case report Ahmad Abutaka1, Renol Mathew Koshy1, Abdulrahman Abu Sabeib1, Adriana Toro2 & Isidoro Di Carlo1,3 1Department of General Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Al Rayyan Road, 3050, Doha Qatar 2Department of Surgery, Barone Romeo Hospital, via Mazzini 14, 98066 Patti, Italy 3Department of Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, via Santa Sofia 78, 95100 Catania, Italy Correspondence Key Clinical Message Renol Mathew Koshy, Department of General Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Al Hemoperitoneum from retroperitoneal varices in cirrhotic is very rare. This Rayyan Road, 3050 Doha, Qatar. condition should be taken into account based on anamnesis, clinical features, Tel: +974 55748825; and laboratory findings; but due to the unstable presentation, diagnosis remains E-mail:
[email protected] a challenge. Emergency laparotomy could be effective treatment, but the prog- nosis remains poor related to the hepatic reserve. Funding Information No sources of funding were declared for this study. Keywords Cirrhosis, hemoperitoneum, hemorrhagic shock, portal hypertension, varices. Received: 26 July 2015; Revised: 26 August 2015; Accepted: 28 September 2015 Clinical Case Reports 2016; 4(1): 51–53 doi: 10.1002/ccr3.427 Introduction his body had a strong smell of alcohol. The patient was intubated and ventilated. His abdomen was found to be Spontaneous hemoperitoneum is a rare and catastrophic distended and tense, with an everted umbilicus; his bowel complication of portal hypertension [1], mainly affecting sounds were negative and a digital rectal examination patients with liver cirrhosis. Rupture of retroperitoneal showed no blood or masses.