Rare abdominal bleeding from the branches of the splenic vein during pregnancy

Acute abdomen during pregnancy is a major challenge for physicians, due to the altered anatomical conditions and the limited use of medical imaging. We present a pregnant woman with a rare form of abdominal bleeding. This case study is based on the patient's medical documentations and interviews with her physicians. A woman in the 33rd week of her pregnancy was admitted to our department with acute abdomen, trauma was ruled out. Due to the deteriorating cardiorespiratory status we performed an emergency caesarean section delivering a living premature newborn. A general surgeon was present, and 1500 ml of blood was evacuated from the abdomen. Active venous type bleeding was present from the splenic vessels, therefore we performed a splenectomy. The histopathological analysis of the whole organ complex showed that the media layer segmentally and progressively disappeared in the splenic hilar veins, giving rise to the high probability that the bleeding was caused by a diathesis-type leakage through the endothelium and to the weakened media layer in the absence of a luminal-type vessel rupture. Hemoperitoneum during pregnancy is an exceptionally rare condition, however its mortality rate is high both for the mother and the fetus. The bleeding usually originates from the pelvis. On rare occasions the bleeding occurs from the splenic vessels although most of them are arterial bleedings from an aneurysm.In our case the emergency laparotomy was essential for the correct diagnosis and the treatment, which resulted in saving and recovering both the mother and the fetus. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(8): 328-332.