ABSTRACT

Spontaneous lateral abdominal wall hematoma is a rare clinical entity. In this report we present a case of 67-year old male patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who presented to our hospital with the sudden onset of abdominal pain after a status asthmaticus episode and was found to have a lateral abdominal wall hematoma. The patient had no bleeding diathesis and did not use anticoagulants. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a 12x10 cm hematoma in the lateral abdominal wall. Abdominal ultrasound findings were consistent with the tomography results and ultrasound was used thereafter in the follow-up period. After treatment for status asthmaticus and supportive treatment the patient’s condition stabilized; no surgical intervention was needed. Based on this patient’s presentation, cough can be presumed to be the predisposing factor for the development of spontaneous abdominal wall hematoma. Abdominal CT and ultrasound can be used for the diagnosis and follow-up of lateral abdominal wall hematomas.