Spontaneous abdominal hematoma in a patient treated with clopidogrel therapy: a case report

Clopidogrel is a new antiplatelet agent. To date, no case of a spontaneous abdominal hematoma during clopidogrel therapy has been reported. We report a case of a 70-year-old woman who developed a spontaneous abdominal hematoma following clopidogrel treatment. The patient has been suffering from a progressive swelling in the abdominal wall for 1-2 weeks and noticed a purple discoloration of the skin over the swelled abdominal region the week before hospitalization. There was a palpable mass in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and ecchymoses surrounding the umbilicus. At abdominal ultrasonography, the mass was found to be consistent with the hematoma. The hematoma was drained under local anesthesia. The patient was discharged with no complication. She was advised to submit herself to regular physical examinations. Although adverse reactions are generally rare, we suggest that physicians prescribing clopidogrel should be aware of the possibility of this adverse reaction.