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Case Reports
. 2021 Apr 22;6(1):16-21.
doi: 10.24908/pocus.v6i1.14757. eCollection 2021.

Use of point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose spontaneous rupture of fibroid in pregnancy

Stephen Lammers  1 , Christopher Hong  1 , Jared Tepper  1 , Christy Moore  2 , Cameron Baston  3 , Cara D Dolin  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Use of point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose spontaneous rupture of fibroid in pregnancy

Stephen Lammers et al. POCUS J. .

Abstract

Background: Complications of fibroids in pregnancy are well known, including postpartum hemorrhage, labor dystocia, and cesarean delivery. Outside of pregnancy and labor, the rare occurrence of spontaneous fibroid rupture has been documented. Case: The current case report involves a woman who presented with acute abdominal pain in the third trimester of pregnancy and was found to have spontaneous rupture of a fibroid before the onset of labor. Her initial presentation, diagnosis through use of point-of-care ultrasound, acute surgical management, and postoperative course are described. Conclusion: When assessing acute abdominal pain in a pregnant patient, fibroid rupture should be considered despite the absence of prior uterine surgery. Bedside point-of-care ultrasonography is a useful tool for assessment of abdominal pain in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Keywords: FAST exam; POCUS; fibroid; hemoperitoneum; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Representative image of a fibroid in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Positive FAST exam of the right upper quadrant. Free fluid is highlighted inferior to the liver with red circle. More anatomy visible in Supplementary Video S1.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Positive FAST exam of the pelvis. Clotted blood is highlighted in red circle. More anatomy visible in Supplementary Video S2.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Left sided fibroid with capsular rupture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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