[Liver rupture in a newborn infant; diagnosis, treatment and prognosis]

Between August 1989 and August 1992 four neonates with rupture of the liver were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Two neonates were born after breech delivery, two after caesarean section because of foetal distress. All four patients had Apgar scores < 5 after 1 minute and of < 8 after 5 minutes and required artificial ventilation for a prolonged period. All infants collapsed within 6 hours after birth. Surgical treatment was not considered because of the poor clinical condition. All patients were treated conservatively. Clinical signs were: rapid onset pallor, hypotension, tachycardia and abdominal distension. Ultrasonography of the abdomen confirmed the clinical diagnosis of rupture of the liver. Despite rapid diagnosis and maximal non-surgical treatment mortality was 75%. Surgical intervention is indicated in neonatal liver rupture with significant intra-abdominal bleeding.