Chronic expanding hematoma, ruptured through the skin 53 years after buttock contusion

Abstract

Introduction Chronic expanding hematoma is a relatively rare complication of soft tissue trauma and often clinically mistaken for a malignant neoplasm. PRESENTATION OF CASE A 71-year-old female presented with a chronic expanding hematoma that ruptured through the buttock skin 53 years after the original contusion. The diagnosis of CEH was made based on the results of the biopsy, physical examination, and CT. The tumor was completely excised, and the defect was covered with a rhomboid flap. DISCUSSION There are no reports of lesions rupturing through the skin. Almost all instances of chronic expanding hematoma previously reported in the English literature have a history ranging from 1 month to 20 years. There is a report of a thorax CEH that ruptured into the lung parenchyma after 24 years, so it is conceivable that other subcutaneous CEHs could break through the skin several decades after their inception. CONCLUSION Once this lesion has ruptured, its differentiation from other entities becomes more complicated. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.