A case of abdominal apoplexy because of the rupture of the short gastric vessel

Abstract

Abdominal apoplexy or idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal haemorrhage is defined as the presence of free blood within the peritoneal cavity. Non-traumatic and non-iatrogenic causes may cause abdominal apoplexy. It has a variable clinical presentation, with abdominal pain being an early and non-specific symptom. We report a rare case of a 23-year-old male with abdominal apoplexy because of rupture of the short gastric artery. He presented to our department with abdominal pain. Later, he developed signs of shock, and was found to have haemoperitoneum on laparotomy. We ligated the short gastric artery, which was the bleeding source, and he had an uneventful postoperative course. We also review the literature on existing cases of short gastric vessel rupture.