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Case Reports
. 2025 Oct 13:2025:7286972.
doi: 10.1155/crdi/7286972. eCollection 2025.

Yellow Fever Vaccine-Associated Viscerotropic Disease: A Unique Case of Atraumatic Splenic Rupture

Eadbert Nortey  1 , Edmund M Bediako  1 , Geraldine K Mould  1 , Abigail Mills-Annoh  1 , Kwame Ekremet  1 , Priscilla Kyei-Baffour  1 , Ama Ekem  1 , Jemima C A Clarke  1 , Eugene F E K Apaloo  1 , Susan Quartey-Papafio  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Yellow Fever Vaccine-Associated Viscerotropic Disease: A Unique Case of Atraumatic Splenic Rupture

Eadbert Nortey et al. Case Rep Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Atraumatic splenic rupture is an uncommon, life-threatening abdominal emergency involving the rupture of the spleen in the absence of obvious trauma. This case report provides a summary of a 48-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department of the University of Ghana Medical Centre with syncope and hemodynamic instability one week after receiving a yellow fever vaccine. A diagnosis of an atraumatic splenic rupture was eventually confirmed by imaging, and a splenectomy was done. This report aims to provide valuable insights into the recognition and management of atraumatic splenic rupture, a potential adverse event associated with the yellow-fever vaccine. It also highlights the importance of prompt diagnosis and timely intervention in such life-threatening cases.

Keywords: abdominal pain; splenic rupture; vaccine; viscerotropic disease; yellow fever.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scan showing splenic hematoma with capsular breach.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photo of the ruptured spleen taken during exploratory laparotomy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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