Published online Nov 18, 2016. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v8.i32.1414
Peer-review started: March 2, 2016
First decision: March 22, 2016
Revised: September 13, 2016
Accepted: October 5, 2016
Article in press: October 9, 2016
Published online: November 18, 2016
Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is one of the systemic vasculitis that affects the media wall of arteries of small and medium diameter. Diagnosis proves difficult due to the unspecific symptoms that dominate the clinical profile. Liver involvement is very diverse, ranging from the development of cirrhotic liver disease to acute abdomen presentation that requires surgery because of liver rupture. The management of these patients requires an expert multidisciplinary team. There are several cases in the literature that describe a sudden liver rupture as the first manifestation of a PAN. In this paper we present the case of a 75 years old patient without any previous disease, who is subjected to major hepatic resection for spontaneous liver rupture.
Core tip: Spontaneous liver rupture is a rare entity with very few cases in the literature reviewed; even when it has an autoimmune disease such etiology and with no previous trauma. We present our experience managing an urgent abdominal hemorrhage caused by a liver rupture as a first manifestation of Polyarteritis in a 75-year-old woman.