Abdominal apoplexy refers rupture of an intra-abdominal blood vessel followed by intra-peritoneal hemorrhage.
Risk factors:
(1) coagulopathy
(2) violent gagging
(3) medial degeneration of arteries (connective tissue disorder)
(4) arteritis (Salmonella, etc)
Clinical features:
(1) An intra-abdominal blood vessel ruptures, usually an arterial aneurysm.
(2) The patient develops the sudden onset of abdominal pain.
(2) The resultant intra-peritoneal hemorrhage may be massive with shock.
The hemorrhage can often be recognized on imaging studies.
Exclusion:
(1) abdominal trauma or surgery
(2) foreign body
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Specialty: Gastroenterology
