[Hemoperitoneum caused by spontaneous rupture of hepatocarcinoma. Apropos of 8 cases]

Spontaneous rupture of hepatoma is very rare in our means. We present 8 cases collected in our hospital. The treatment performed was direct hemostasis and packing of the bleeding area in 4 patients, ligature of the hepatic artery in two other patients and finally an hepatectomy in the remaining two. The 4 patients in whom we performed an hemostasis died during the postoperative period. The other 4, instead have a normal postoperative course. We think that the treatment of a bleeding hepatoma is hepatectomy, and when is not possible, the ligature of hepatic artery.