An unusual cause of pelvic hemorrhage: multidetector CT diagnosis of inferior mesenteric vein injury.

ABSTRACT

Pelvic trauma can lead to uncontrollable bleeding and even death. Although significantly decreased with the application of novel treament modalities and the use of state-of-the-art imaging equipment, pelvic trauma and subsequent bleeding remains to stay as a major source of morbidity and mortality. In this case we present a patient suffering from pelvic bleeding from the inferior mesenteric vein due to sigmoid mesocolon injury. Similar finding has not been reported as an isolated source of pelvic hemorrhage. We also propose that the routine use of reformatted images obtained with multidetector CT scanners in patients with hemoperitoneum may be a highly useful adjunct for the correct identification of the source of hemorrhage.