Abstract
A spontaneous rupture of the spleen is a rare but critical diagnosis of an acute abdomen, which may accompany unspecific symptoms mimicking acute pancreatitis, rupture of aortic aneurism, or acute coronary syndrome, delaying diagnosis and treatment. In patients that have experienced a severe spleen rupture, hypovolemic shock may cause catastrophic clinical outcomes. Therefore, early diagnosis is very important in order for physicians to declare the etiology for prevention and timely correction of the shock status. Several causes of spontaneous splenic rupture have been reported, including infection, vasculitis, pancreatitis, or hematological malignancies. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a rare but important cause of non-traumatic splenic rupture that physicians are required to assess for. Here, we describe a case presenting an acute abdomen due to spontaneous spleen rupture as the first manifestation. The purpose of this case report was to highlight the importance of considering spontaneous ruptures of the spleen as a rare but critical differential diagnosis of an acute abdomen, especially in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Highlights
Spontaneous splenic ruptures are a rare clinical phenomenon that may lead to hemodynamic instability due to hypovolemic shock, and may be difficult to diagnose as a first manifestation in an emergency department [1]
We describe a unique case of an acute abdomen due to a spontaneous splenic rupture as a first manifestation in an Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patient
Atraumatic, pathological ruptures were found in 93% of the cases
Summary
Spontaneous splenic ruptures are a rare clinical phenomenon that may lead to hemodynamic instability due to hypovolemic shock, and may be difficult to diagnose as a first manifestation in an emergency department [1]. Many etiologies of non-traumatic splenic ruptures have been reported, such as infections, vasculitis, pancreatitis, or hematological malignancies [2,3,4]. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a rare cause of non-traumatic splenic rupture that physicians are required to assess for. Early diagnosis is very important in order for emergency physicians to stabilize hypovolemic shock and declare the etiology of a spontaneous splenic rupture. The etiology and clinical features of spontaneous splenic rupture are discussed
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