A subserosal uterine leiomyoma complicated with intra-abdominal haemorrhage: A case report

Uterine leiomyomas, or fibroids, are the most common benign tumours of the female genital tract. Although uterine fibroids are commonly associated with menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, symptomatic anaemia, urinary or bowel symptoms and infertility, intra-abdominal haemorrhage is an exceedingly rare complication. Often, the diagnosis is poorly recognizable based on the patient's clinical presentation and alternative diagnoses such as ruptured ectopic pregnancy, ruptured ovarian cyst or perforated viscus are frequently considered. Herein, we describe a case of a 50-year-old perimenopausal woman who presented with acute, lower abdominal pain, evolving anaemia, hypovolaemic shock and haemoperitoneum with no discernable source. Emergency exploratory laparotomy confirmed the source of massive haemoperitoneum arising from a ruptured blood vessel supplying a large subserosal uterine leiomyoma and the patient subsequently underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Given the paucity of publications on this clinical entity, the aim of this report is to highlight a rare complication of uterine leiomyomas, its pathophysiological spectrum and its relevance to emergency physicians, general surgeons and gynaecologists.