Spontaneous hepatic rupture: 13-year experience of a single center.
BACKGROUND
Spontaneous hepatic rupture is a rare clinical event associated with various pathologies of the liver. Most series to date reported the incidence and characteristics of a single etiology.


METHODS
Data were collected for all patients admitted with spontaneous hepatic rupture from 1995 to 2007.


RESULTS
Ten patients met the study criteria. Hepatocellular adenoma was the cause of the rupture in six female patients, in their second to fourth decade. In the remaining patients, the ruptures were because of hepatocellular carcinoma in two, metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor in one, and HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) in one. Nine out of 10 patients were treated surgically.


CONCLUSIONS
Spontaneous hepatic rupture requires a high index of suspicion for a correct and timely diagnosis. Outcome is potentially grave and greatly depends on the underlying condition.
Maoz
Daniel
D
Department of Surgery A, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, and Sackler Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Sharon
Eran
E
Chen
Yakov
Y
Grief
Franklin
F
D018248:Adenoma, Liver Cell / Q000150:complications*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000150:complications*; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult