Abdominal apoplexy

Abdominal Apoplexy: Sudden Death Due to Massive, Nontraumatic Intra-abdominal Hemorrhage

Abdominal apoplexy or idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH), the modern way to describe this condition, is a rare phenomenon representing intra-abdominal bleeding with no traumatic origin. The condition is severe and potentially life-threatening. A man in his 70s was found dead at his home. The autopsy revealed a massive hemoperitoneum with no visible traumatic injuries externally or internally. The source of the bleeding was unknown despite the careful examination of the internal organs and splanchnic vessels. The cause of death was attributed to massive exsanguination due to the rupture of a small blood vessel as a complication of generalized arteriosclerosis and hypertensive disease. Despite its rare occurrence, the forensic pathologist should always consider this pathological condition when, during the autopsy, a massive intraabdominal hemorrhage with or without a visible source of the bleeding is discovered in the absence of any visible traumas.

Intraperitoneal Haemorrhage Secondary to Rupture of Right Colic Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Case Report and Literature Review

This article presents the case of a 58-year-old woman who presented feeling unwell with pain in the right upper abdomen for three days. She had a history of splenic infarcts, was on lifelong warfarin and had recently returned from a trip to Gambia. She was admitted to the hospital under suspicion of sepsis of unknown origin, and a CT scan later revealed haemoperitoneum along with a pseudoaneurysm of the right colic artery. After initially responding to resuscitation, the patient deteriorated haemodynamically, and a decision was made to perform a laparotomy, revealing a ruptured right colic artery pseudoaneurysm. In this article, the authors highlight the challenges of managing a complex unwell patient with a ruptured right colic artery pseudoaneurysm, emphasising the importance of a multi-disciplinary team approach and shared decision-making and reviewing the available literature.

Abdominal apoplexy: A rare case of spontaneous middle colic artery rupture with transverse colectomy

•

Idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH) is a rare but potentially fatal entity.

•

This is a 27-years old male with a massive hemoperitoneum due to ruptured middle colic artery without evidence of prior pathology.

•

The patient’s condition necessitated a damage control exploratory laparotomy for evacuation of the hemoperitoneum, ligation of the middle colic artery and transverse colectomy.

•

The post-operative course was uneventful afterwards and the patient was discharged a week after presentation with full recovery.

•

To our knowledge, this is the third case report in the literature of a spontaneous middle colic artery rupture with no underlying pathology.

Introduction and importance

Idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH) is a rare but potentially fatal entity. The majority of the reported cases of ISIH due to middle colic artery rupture are associated with pseudoaneurysm. Our case is unique in that no pathology could be identified. To our knowledge, this is the third case report in the literature of a spontaneous middle colic artery rupture with no underlying pathology.

Case presentation

In our report, we present the case of a 27-years old male presenting with a hemoperitoneum due to ruptured middle colic artery with no evidence of pseudoaneurysm or any other pathology. The patient’s hemodynamic status deteriorated abruptly requiring a damage control exploratory laparotomy for evacuation of the hemoperitoneum, ligation of the middle colic artery and transverse colectomy. The post-operative course was uneventful afterwards and the patient was discharged a week after presentation with full recovery.

Discussion

Patients with ISIH might exhibit the “double rupture” phenomenon, compromising their hemodynamic stability and necessitating urgent surgical interventions. CTA can be of paramount importance to guide such interventions if the patient’s clinical status permits. Angiographic embolization is an acceptable alternative approach in specific situations.

Conclusion

ISIH should be on the differential diagnosis of any young patient presenting to the ED with an acute abdomen, regardless of the identifiable risk factors.

Idiopathic Spontaneous Intraperitoneal Hemorrhage due to Rupture of Short Gastric Artery Presenting as Massive Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Rare Case Presentation and Literature Review

Idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH) or abdominal apoplexy is due to the tear of an intra-abdominal visceral vessel spontaneously where no cause can be identified. It is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition that generally shows up as a diagnostic dilemma as well as is related to formidable mortality. Among all the reported cases, the extemporaneous tear of short gastric arteries is extremely rare, but it has never been reported to present with massive gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a rare instance of idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hematoma eroding the stomach wall, causing massive gastrointestinal bleeding.

Intraperitoneal hemorrhage during pregnancy and parturition: Case reports and literature review

We aim to investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of intraperitoneal hemorrhage during pregnancy and parturition.Three cases with intraperitoneal hemorrhage during pregnancy and parturition admitted to our hospital from Jan. 2008 to Jan. 2018 were included in this study. One case showed fetal distress. Abdominal ultrasonography and abdominal CT showed pyoperitoneum in 2 cases. Abdominal puncture was performed in 2 patients, and noncoagulant blood was collected. The indications of emergency caesarean section in 3 cases were intraperitoneal hemorrhage. The etiology included rupture of posterior wall of uterus, rupture of blood vessel on uterine surface, and rupture of inflammatory vessel on uterine surface, respectively. The average volume of intraperitoneal bleeding was 2630 ml, and the average transfusion volume was 1530 ml. Caesarean section, and suture hemostasis were performed in 3 cases. The gestational age of delivery were 40 weeks, 40 weeks, and 25 weeks, respectively. There were 1 stillborn fetus and 2 live infants. All the puerperas were cured and discharged.Intraperitoneal hemorrhage in pregnancy is rare and is easily misdiagnosed. The mortality of pregnant women and perinatal infant is high. Therefore, early diagnosis, and timely operation is important.

Abdominal apoplexy resulting in small bowel obstruction

Abdominal apoplexy is a rare hemorrhagic condition involving the small arteries or veins within the abdominal cavity. A high degree of clinical suspicion, followed by appropriate diagnostic workup and therapeutic intervention, is critical, as nonoperative mortality approaches 100%. Contrary to most previously reported cases, which were associated with hemoperitoneum, we present a patient in which gastroduodenal artery dissection resulted in an organized retroperitoneal hematoma with local compression of the duodenum and subsequent bowel obstruction, resulting in vomiting, aspiration, and death.

Abdominal apoplexy because of the rupture of gastroduodenal artery and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery: A case report

RATIONALE

Abdominal apoplexy is a rare and fatal emergency event, which is coined as a comparison to the cerebrovascular apoplexy. The exact mechanism of abdominal apoplexy was unclear, but arteriosclerosis, hypertension, abdominal aneurysm, and other predisposing angiopathy were considered to be the main reasons of abdominal apoplexy. The development of the imaging technology gave us more opportunities to confirm the diagnosis of abdominal apoplexy. However, the diagnosis and identification of the bleeding sites still continued to be a challenge.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 55-year-old man presented to the emergency department with chief complains of sudden severe abdominal pain.

DIAGNOSIS

The patient was diagnosed as abdominal apoplexy with 2 synchronous bleeding sites.

INTERVENTIONS

Angiography confirmed diagnosis of abdominal apoplexy and revealed 2 synchronous bleeding sites in gastroduodenal artery (GDA) and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (IPDA). Transcatheter embolization was performed immediately.

OUTCOMES

The patient recovered and was discharged very soon. Two months later, the patient totally recovered and the hematoma disappeared in the CT imaging.

LESSONS

The reported case is rare, given the very low incidence of abdominal apoplexy with 2 synchronous bleeding sites in GDA and IPDA. The awareness of abdominal apoplexy was still the key point in the management of this disease. Quick diagnosis by the imaging and immediate embolization were very important for the treatment.

Abdominal Apoplexy: A Stroke of Misfortune

Idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH), or abdominal apoplexy, is due to nontraumatic, small vessel rupture; excluded by definition is hemorrhage associated with aortic aneurysm, gynecologic conditions (including ruptured ectopic pregnancy), and bleeding tumors. As defined, this condition is rare and etiologically complex. We report a case of ISIH associated with ruptured dissection of the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) which occurred following two paracentesis procedures for ascites due to cirrhosis. Severe acute inflammation of the vessel wall and resolving endocardial thrombosis suggest an infectious or “mycotic” etiology for this arterial dissection. Direct vascular injury during paracentesis was excluded as a cause of death. Small artery hemorrhage may be associated with aneurysmal rupture or other vasculopathies. Visceral small vessel aneurysms are rare, and GDA aneurysms are even less common. Although the regional vascular anatomy is complex and finding a bleeding point within a bloody field with no intravascular pressure may be impossible, careful dissection of the smaller vascular branches can be rewarding. Clinical management of ISIH is also challenging since findings may be nonspecific and limited to hemodynamic instability and atypical abdominal pain; however, immediate exploratory surgery is the treatment of choice, and the non-operative mortality approaches 100%.

Abdominal apoplexy: two unusual cases of hemoperitoneum

Abdominal apoplexy, or idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage, is a rare and often fatal condition resulting from a variety of disease processes affecting the arterial and venous abdominal vasculature. Preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis and treatment of abdominal apoplexy are challenging. The source of bleeding may remain elusive even after careful autopsy dissection given the absence of intravascular pressure. Despite these challenges, early diagnosis and rapid treatment remain central to a successful outcome, as nonsurgical mortality has approached 100%. Presented here are two fatal cases of abdominal apoplexy, one involving a patient with arterial dissection of the gastroduodenal artery and one involving rupture of the superior mesenteric-portal venous system with perivascular pseudoaneurysm formation.

Abdominal apoplexy: A rare case of spontaneous rupture of the superior mesenteric artery in a hypertensive patient

INTRODUCTION

Spontaneous rupture of an intra-abdominal visceral artery is an exceptionally rare and potentially fatal cause of abdominal apoplexy.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We present a case of a 54-year-old hypertensive male who developed hypovolemic shock in our Emergency Department after presenting with abrupt onset of abdominal pain and diarrhea. Intra-operative findings revealed rupture of the superior mesenteric artery with massive hemoperitoneum. The bleeding vessel was ligated and the patient made a full recovery after 3 weeks in the Intensive Care Unit.

DISCUSSION

High index of suspicion is necessary for early preoperative diagnosis and must be considered in any patient with a history of hypertension presenting with abrupt abdominal pain, signs of peritoneal irritation and unexplained hypovolemic shock. Immediate resuscitation and prompt surgical control of bleeding is paramount in patient prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The seemingly unpredictable nature of abdominal apoplexy must be noted, a precipitating cause in most cases is untraceable and early diagnosis relies solely on awareness of the condition.

Abdominal apoplexy

Two cases of the rare condition of abdominal apoplexy are described. The two main clincial presentations of this condition are discussed as is the aetiology. It is suggested that selective visceral angiography might prove helpful in preoperative diagnosis.