A case of HELLP syndrome with multiple complications

"Hepatic rupture in preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome: A catastrophic presentation"

The objective of index study is to review the available literature on hepatic rupture or hematoma in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy to find the incidence, associated risk factors, clinical presentation, mode of management and feto-maternal outcome. Electronic database was searched using hepatic rupture or hematoma in pregnancy, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis, EL: elevated liver enzymes, LP: low platelet count) as key words and literature published since January, 2000 to December, 2018 which met the inclusion criteria was reviewed. A total of 56 articles were reviewed describing 93 cases of hepatic hemorrhage in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Treatment varied from conservative management to abdominal packing, hepatic artery embolization, and partial hepatectomy to liver transplantation. Seven out of 93 patients with liver rupture met mortality and in one of them diagnosis was established on autopsy. Unawareness of the hepatic rupture in pregnancy by an obstetrician demands high index of suspicion for diagnosis and requires specialized, focused and exhaustive management for optimal feto-maternal outcome. Laparotomy and perihepatic packing is a viable option in patients with unstable vitals and is feasible even in limited resource settings.Short interval between diagnosis and management may enhance the feto-maternal survival rate and prevent further morbidity or mortality.

Cystic lymphangioma of the hepatoduodenal ligament: a rare intra-abdominal tumor mimicking hematoma

A 22-year-old man was referred for upper abdominal pain. Unenhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a lesion of heterogeneous hypoattenuation, part of which showed slightly high-density in the porta hepatis. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), T1-weighted images showed a multiloculated hyperintense mass and part of the mass was hyperintense in T2-weighted images. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a 40 mm multilocular mass with septa, containing solid and small cystic components. In sonazoid-enhanced ultrasonography, the septa were enhanced but the solid components were not. Because of the location of tumor and the findings of CT/MRI, we suspected the lesion as hematoma of the liver. We could not exclude neoplastic disease, such as biliary cystadenoma or cystadenocarcinoma of the liver, so surgical resection was performed. The mass was a multilocular cyst arising from the hepatoduodenal ligament. Pathological examination revealed aggregation of lymph vessels and endothelial-like cells with no atypia, which were positive for the specific markers D2-40 and CD31. The histological diagnosis was abdominal lymphangioma. Intra-abdominal lymphangiomas, which originate from the hepatoduodenal ligament, are extremely rare, benign tumors. We are mindful that lymphangioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors in the abdominal cavity, mimicking a hematoma of the liver and with a cystic appearance.