Emergency Radiology (2000) 7:302-307
Singer Amy, Handler Bradley J., Simmons Marc Z., Baker Stephen R.
Evaluation of the patient presenting to the emergency department with acute nontraumatic abdominal pain requires rapid clinical and radiological assessment. Nontraumatic splenic rupture is one of the least common causes of spontaneous hemoperitoneum, especially in the setting of malignancy. Primary splenic angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm that may present in this manner. Several imaging modalities are available to evaluate patients presenting to the emergency department with acute nontraumatic abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced CT is the first-line study in differentiating the possible causes of spontaneous hemoperitoneum and delineating the extent of the disease [1].
ABSTRACT: Spontaneous rupture of primary angiosarcoma of the spleen is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain and hemoperitoneum. Clinical findings and presentation are nonspecific and variable. CT is frequently used as a first-line imaging modality in the evaluation of acute abdominal pain; however, findings are not specific for angiosarcoma. We report a case of primary splenic angiosarcoma with spontaneous rupture, henoperitoneum, and hepatic metastases in a patient presenting to the emergency department with acute left upper quadrant pain and fever.
KEY WORDS: Angiosarcoma Spleen—Spontaneous rupture—Hemoperitoneum Metastasis—Case report.
