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Post mortem CT demonstration of hemoperitoneum caused by rupture of a paraumbilical vein into a paraumbilical hernia in a man with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension

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Abstract

In patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension collateral circulation can develop to direct blood from portal to systemic veins allowing decompression of the portal system. A potential complication of portal hypertension is rupture of collateral vessels with subsequent fatal hemorrhage, occurring most commonly in the esophagus. The paraumbilical vein is a recognized collateral pathway in patients with portal hypertension however cases of rupture have been rarely documented. The authors report a case of hemoperitoneum caused by rupture of a paraumbilical vein into a paraumbilical hernia in a man with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Post mortem CT imaging was valuable in localizing the source of hemorrhage in this case.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 57-83 Kavanagh St, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia

    Eleanor Bott, Christopher O’Donnell & Michael Burke

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  1. Eleanor Bott
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  2. Christopher O’Donnell
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  3. Michael Burke
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Correspondence to Eleanor Bott.

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Bott, E., O’Donnell, C. & Burke, M. Post mortem CT demonstration of hemoperitoneum caused by rupture of a paraumbilical vein into a paraumbilical hernia in a man with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 9, 77–81 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-012-9384-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-012-9384-4

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