Obstetric Versus Traumatic Vulvar Hematoma: Two Case Report and Review

Abstract

Background: Vulvar hematomas are more frequent in the obstetric population generally as a consequence of episiotomies, precipitated or instrumental deliveries. The most common causes in the general population are accidental trauma or spontaneous rupture of blood vessels. Management in both etiologies depends on size, involvement of adjacent organs, hemodynamic compromise, and the existence of fractures or lacerations that need to be repaired. Edema is a common complication usually resolved with conservative management. Clinical presentation: We present two cases. A traumatic vulvar hematoma in a 22-year-old patient and an obstetric vulvar hematoma in a 30-year-old primigravida which already presented pitting edema prior to delivery. Both cases required surgical drainage due to clinical evolution and poor pain control. Conclusions: The approach can be conservative or surgical depending on several factors but the use of intravenous analgesia is essential for pain management. Although hematomas related with traumatic causes are less frequent than puerperal ones, they can be very dangerous if they are associated with arterial bleeding that leads to hemodynamic instability.