Spontaneous rupture of a nonparasitic liver cyst complicated by intracystic hemorrhage

A case of spontaneous rupture of simple liver cyst complicated by intracyst ic hemorrhage is described. This rare condition was detected in a 61-year-o ld man who underwent left trisegmentectomy of liver under a suspected diagn osis of cystadenocarcinoma because of elevated serum levels of carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 and DUPAN 2, and the presence of an intracystic structur e. The resected specimen showed a benign liver cyst with intracystic hemato ma and high levels of CA19-9 and DUPAN 2 in the cystic fluid. It is suggest ed that cyst rupture may increase serum levels of tumor markers whose level s are high in the cystic fluid, and that repeated observations of an intrac ystic structure may be the most reliable method to distinguish intracystic hemorrhage from cystic neoplasm.