Hemoperitoneum Secondary to Rapidly Growing Hepatic Metastases from Esophageal Cancer: A Case Report

Abstract

A 72-year-old man who had undergone an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer 3 years previously presented with right neck, shoulder and chest pain. Abdominal contrast-enhanced CT revealed intraperitoneal bleeding from multiple bilobed liver tumors. Hepatic arterial embolization was performed. After that chemotherapy was instigated under the diagnosis of hepatic metastases from esophageal cancer and it was effective. However, the patient died of liver failure due to rapidly growing liver tumors about 5 months after the chemotherapy was started. Hemoperitoneum secondary to hepatic metastases is rare. Emergency hepatic arterial embolization is a less-invasive and effective treatment for patients with hemoperitoneum due to hepatic metastasis.