SPONTANEOUS SUBCAPSULAR HEPATIC HEMORRHAGE ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY - REPORT OF A CASE

We report herein a case of spontaneous subcapsular hepatic hemorrhage which occurred in a 33-year-old woman 1 day after she had been deliver ed of her second child by cesarean section following an uneventful pre gnancy, She complained of right upper quadrant pain on the Ist postope rative day, and computed tomography (CT) showed subcapsular low-densit y masses in both liver lobes, while extravasation was demonstrated by CO2 intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA), The hemorrh age was successfully controlled by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), However, on the 3rd day after TEE, an exploratory laparotomy w as performed to establish an exact diagnosis to explain the persistent abdominal pain and abnormal liver function tests, Subcapsular hematom as in both lobes were confirmed and no visible laceration was present, The patient recovered gradually by spontaneous absorption of the hema tomas and was discharged on the 22nd postoperative day. Spontaneous he patic hemorrhage associated with pregnancy is a very rare complication , and establishing a correct diagnosis and initiating appropriate ther apy are essential for this life-threatening disease.