S2733 A Curious Case of a Bleed Without a Cause

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous subcapsular hematoma of the liver is usually associated with pregnancy, coagulopathy or liver lesion. We report a rare case of spontaneous subcapsular liver hematoma without any of the above risk factors. CASE DESCRIPTION/METHODS: A 59-year-old lady with a history of hypertension presented with sudden-onset in the right upper abdomen, right chest, shoulder and neck pain. She was otherwise hemodynamically stable other than being mildly hypertensive. Work-up for cardiac ischemia was negative. She was noted to have a low hemoglobin of 10.4 g/dl (prior baseline was 13.7 g/dL) and she had mild hepatocellular injury (ALT 32 IU/L, AST 31 IU/L). She underwent CT scan to rule out pulmonary embolism which incidentally revealed a large subcapsular liver hematoma. MRI abdomen confirmed a large lenticular shaped subscapular collection along the right lobe of the liver measuring approximately 12 × 4 × 16 cm. There was no focal hepatic lesion to explain the cause of bleeding. She did not recall any preceding trauma and there was no obvious trauma on exam. She was not taking any blood thinners. She admitted to inadvertently using oral contraceptives (OCP) for over 30 years for purely birth control purposes. The patient was admitted for observation and remained clinically stable over the next few days. At her 1-month follow-up, an office ultrasound showed that the size of the hematoma had decreased when compared to her prior ultrasound during her hospitalization (thickness from intercostal view decreased from 42 mm to 35 mm). At her 1-year follow-up, an MRI abdomen was repeated that showed a minimal residual hematoma and no discrete underlying lesion. DISCUSSION: Spontaneous subcapsular hematoma of the liver represents an accumulation of blood between the capsule of Glisson and the liver parenchyma, and is frequently located around the right lobe. If it ruptures into the peritoneum, it can be potentially fatal. Our case is unique in that none of the usual risk factors such as pregnancy, trauma, blood thinner use or underlying liver lesion were present. To our knowledge, there are very few similar case reports that describe spontaneous subcapsular hepatic hematoma. OCP use is generally associated with the development of hepatic adenoma, which can in turn cause spontaneous subcapsular hematoma. Theoretically, long-term OCP use in a post-menopausal hypertensive lady (such as in our case) may mimic the pathophysiology of pregnancy and independently lead to spontaneous subcapsular bleeding.Figure 1.: MRI showing large hepatic subcapsular hematoma and no focal lesion.Figure 2.: MRI showing nearly resolved hepatic subcapsular hematoma.