Rectus Sheath Hematoma Secondary to Domestic Violence

Abstract

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is an infrequent condition that occurs when epigastric arteries bleed into the rectus sheath and sometimes acts like an acute abdomen. In view of the fact that it is a rare case without specific clinic signs, misdiagnosis and use of invasive manipulations for patients are possible. A 27-year-old woman applied to our clinic with abdominal pain, weakness, and nausea. Acute abdominal pain was in the periumbilical region and physical examination revealed tenderness, rebound phenomenon, and local mass in the right periumbilical region. Rectus sheath hematoma was identified by magnetic resonance imaging. The cause in this case was abdominal trauma due to domestic violence. After the legal procedures, symptomatic treatment was prescribed to the patient. Interestingly in this case, we did not get to the diagnosis through history, we reached the history after diagnosis. Besides the treatment of the patient, maybe our team prevented further violence against a woman.