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Rationale: Peliosis hepatis (PH) is a rare disease with few clinical reports and complex etiology. However, there have been no reports of hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) leading to PH at present. This paper, through case reports, expands the understanding of the etiology of PH and the pathological damage effect of prolactin (PRL)., Patient Concerns: The patient reported in this paper had jaundice, menstrual disorders, menopause, weight gain, and other symptoms. Laboratory examination found increased levels of PRL and transaminase in liver function, and imaging examination indicated pituitary tumor and PH., Diagnoses: Comprehensive patient history and auxiliary examination, the clinical diagnosis was pituitary PRL tumor and PH., Interventions and Outcomes: After treatment with bromocriptine, menstruation recovered and liver function returned to normal. In addition, the follow-up imaging examination indicated that pituitary tumors and PH lesions were shrinking, and clinical phenomena indicated that HPRL caused by pituitary prolactinoma was correlated with PH occurrence., Lessons: Since there is no report of HPRL causing PH, the specific pathogenesis is unknown. This paper reviews the relevant literature and puts forward the theoretical consideration of the pathogenesis. Through this case, for clinically similar patients, it is warned that we need to consider the possibility of PH and further improve the examination, evaluation and treatment in time., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2025 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

In this series of articles on comments and illustrations of the World Federation for Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) guidelines on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), the topics on very rare focal liver lesions (FLL) are discussed. This article describes the diverse changes of focal liver lesions in peliosis hepatis and the typical changes in porphyria. Although the focus is on the appearance on ultrasound and CEUS, the clinical context is always considered. While peliosis may be a surprising finding on puncture, lesions in porphyria cutanea tarda may be typical visual diagnoses that obviate the need for biopsy. If only you knew. This article aims to sharpen the clinician's eye. It provides knowledge of the clinical presentation and US and CEUS imaging of peliosis hepatis and porphyria.

In November 2019, a 76-year-old woman was diagnosed with limited cutaneous scleroderma caused by Raynaud's phenomenon and skin hardening on the periphery of the extremities. In October 2022, blood tests and abdominal ultrasonography revealed liver dysfunction and multiple liver masses, respectively. In November 2022, a percutaneous liver mass biopsy revealed peliosis hepatitis, so the patient was referred to Kindai University Hospital, and signs of liver failure were observed. Considering her age, the patient was ineligible for liver transplantation, and she died in September 2023. Peliosis hepatis complicated by scleroderma has not been previously reported, so we report this as a valuable case.

Bacillary peliosis hepatis is a well recognised manifestation of disseminated Bartonella henselae infection that can occur in immunocompromised individuals. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is an immune-mediated condition with features that can overlap with a severe primary infection such as disseminated Bartonella spp infection. We report a case of bacillary peliosis hepatis and secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis due to disseminated Bartonella spp infection in a kidney-transplant recipient with well controlled HIV. The patient reported 2 weeks of fever and abdominal pain and was found to have hepatomegaly. He recalled exposure to a sick dog but reported no cat exposures. Laboratory evaluation was notable for pancytopenia and cholestatic injury. The patient met more than five of eight clinical criteria for haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Pathology review of a bone marrow core biopsy identified haemophagocytosis. A transjugular liver biopsy was done, and histopathology review identified peliosis hepatis. Warthin-Starry staining of the bone marrow showed pleiomorphic coccobacillary organisms. The B henselae IgG titre was 1:512, and Bartonella-specific DNA targets were detected by peripheral blood PCR. Treatment with doxycycline, increased prednisone, and pausing the mycophenolate component of his transplant immunosuppression regimen resulted in an excellent clinical response. Secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis can be difficult to distinguish from severe systemic infection. A high index of suspicion can support the diagnosis of systemic Bartonella spp infection in those who present with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, especially in patients with hepatomegaly, immunosuppression, and germane animal exposures., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Myotubular myopathy is a rare disease sometimes accompanied by peliosis hepatis, a leading cause of fatal liver hemorrhage., Case Report: We present a case of a 2-year-old boy with myotubular myopathy who developed liver hemorrhage because of peliosis hepatis and was successfully treated with living-donor liver transplant. The patient initially presented with fever, anemia, and liver dysfunction. A computed tomographic scan revealed hemorrhages in the liver, and the patient underwent hepatic artery embolization twice. After the second embolization, multiple peliosis hepatis cavities appeared in the left lobe of the liver that had increased in size. Therefore, the patient underwent ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplant using a lateral segment graft from his father. The patient developed severe septic shock with an unknown focus on postoperative day 18, which resolved with antibiotic therapy. On postoperative day 62, he was discharged. Fourteen months after undergoing living-donor liver transplant, the patient showed no recurrence of peliosis hepatis., Conclusions: Although the long-term prognosis of peliosis hepatis due to myotubular myopathy after living-donor liver transplant remains unclear, liver transplant may be a curative treatment for patients with myotubular myopathy who have uncontrollable peliosis hepatis., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This report describes the autopsy case of a 4-year-old boy who died from hepatic hemorrhage and rupture caused by peliosis hepatis with X-linked myotubular myopathy. Peliosis hepatis is characterized by multiple blood-filled cavities of various sizes in the liver, which occurs in chronic wasting disease or with the use of specific drugs. X-linked myotubular myopathy is one of the most serious types of congenital myopathies, in which an affected male infant typically presents with severe hypotonia and respiratory distress immediately after birth. Although each disorder is rare, 12 cases of pediatric peliosis hepatis associated with X-linked myotubular myopathy have been reported, including our case. Peliosis hepatis should be considered as a cause of hepatic hemorrhage despite its low incidence, and it requires adequate gross and histological investigation for correct diagnosis., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This article is the first description of a spontaneous hepatic rupture in a young bodybuilder with a history of clenbuterol and ephedrine alkaloid use. The patient presented with a sudden mid-epigastric pain and vomiting. Hemoglobin levels decreased a few hours later and a computed tomography scan was performed which revealed a rupture of the right liver capsule and hemoperitoneum. Two attempts at transarterial embolization did not control the bleeding and a right hemihepatectomy was performed. The pathological report identified a hepatic adenoma, a capsular tear and diffuse peliosis hepatis. The patient was discharged in a good condition after eleven days. Spontaneous hepatic ruptures are rare and life-threatening and are usually described in association with tumors, connective tissue diseases and gestosis. This article is a review of the available literature with regard to this condition, with a focus on its relation to peliosis hepatis and banned substance used by body image fanatics. The present case highlights the challenging diagnosis of this potentially fatal liver complication in a healthy appearing male, the risk associated with the online trade of performance enhancing drugs and its relation with peliosis hepatis.

We present a 21-year-old patient, remarkable for huge hepatomegaly with the liver, occupying almost the entire abdominal cavity, and mild portal hypertension due to splenic vein compression. After ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy, performed to establish the diagnosis, the patient had bleeding from the liver. Fortunately, emergency laparotomy was started immediately, and the patient was saved. Macroscopically, the liver appeared to be of purple-red color, flabby to the touch, and able to be easily wrinkled with fingers. When all available clinical data were considered, a diagnosis of liver peliosis was made. The patient was recommended close follow-up at the specialized liver surgery clinic with access to emergency surgical procedures, including liver transplant.

Peliosis hepatis (PH) is a disease characterized by multiple and small, blood-filled cysts within the parenchymatous organs. PH is a very rare disease, more common in adults, and when it affects the liver, it comes to the surgeon's attention only in an extremely urgent situation after the lesion's rupture with the resulting hemoperitoneum. This report describes the case of a 29-year-old woman affected by recurring abdominal pain. Computed tomography scans showed a hepatic lesion formed by multiple hypodense areas, which showed an early acquisition of the contrast during the arterial phase. Furthermore, it remained isodense with the remaining parenchyma during the late venous phase. We decided on performing a liver resection of segment VII while avoiding a biopsy for safety reasons. The histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of focal PH. PH should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions. Clinicians should discuss the possible causes and issues related to the differential diagnosis in addition to the appropriate therapeutic approach. The fortuitous finding of a lesion, potentially compatible with PH, requires elective surgery with diagnostic and therapeutic intents. The main aim is to prevent the risk of a sudden bleeding that, in absence of properly equipped structures, may have a fatal outcome.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare condition that can cause hepatic hemorrhage, rupture, and ultimately liver failure. Several authors have reported that peliosis hepatis develops in association with chronic wasting disease or prolonged use of anabolic steroids or oral contraceptives. In this report we describe a case in which discontinuation of steroid therapy improved the condition of a patient with peliosis hepatis. Our patient was a 64-year-old woman with a history of long-term steroid treatment for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura . Her symptoms included abdominal pain and weight loss; the only finding of a physical examination was hepatomegaly. We performed computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver and a liver biopsy. Based on these findings plus clinical observations, she was diagnosed with peliosis hepatis and her steroid treatment was terminated. The patient recovered completely 3 months after steroid discontinuation, and remained stable over the following 6 months.

Introduction: In the World Health Organization histological classification of the liver tumor, peliosis hepatis is defined as a tumor-like lesion. The entity is characterized by the appearance of multiple cyst-like, blood-filled spaces within the liver parenchyma., Case Presentation: A 77-year-old Japanese man with prostate cancer was referred to our department because he was diagnosed as having two hepatic tumors. The tumors were confirmed to be peliosis hepatis by repeated needle biopsies and because of their atypical images by enhanced computed tomography and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Later these tumors grew rapidly, increased in number, and disseminated throughout his whole liver. We are now treating the patient conservatively due to his age and his existing medical conditions., Conclusion: Peliosis hepatis is a rare hepatic benign tumor that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple unknown liver tumors that are revealed by atypical radiological images.

Spontaneous hepatic rupture (SHR) during pregnancy is a rare but well known complication and it usually occurs alongside eclampsia or HELLP syndrome. SHR in uncomplicated pregnancy is extremely rare and can be associated to different undiagnosed pathological conditions. We report the case of a nulliparous woman, 27 weeks pregnant, with a peliosis hepatis, previously unknown, who was admitted to our unit due to SHR and massive hemoperitoneum. The conception was obtained by embryo transfer after multiple attempts of hormone-supported cycles using estrogens and progesterone. After emergency laparotomy the patient was submitted to deliver of the dead foetus and damage control of the hepatic bleeding source. At relaparotomy a right posterior sectionectomy (segments VI and VII) and segmentectomy of segment V were performed. The patient was discharged in good physical conditions after 18 days from admission. If hepatic rupture is suspected in a pregnant patient a collaborative multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. The cornerstones of medical and surgical management are highlighted. At the best of our knowledge this is the first case of SHR in a pregnant woman with peliosis hepatis. A possible correlation of an increased risk for SHR in a pregnant patient who was submitted to several attempts for embryo transfer is discussed. The relevant scientific literature of the possible causative role of the estrogen therapy in inducing politic liver damage is also reviewed.

A 33-year-old woman was referred for an ultrasound of the abdomen because of biliary colic. The symptoms had started 2 months after giving birth to her first child. The ultrasound showed gallstones, but it also revealed multiple focal liver lesions that were initially thought to be malignant. The examination was supplemented with a CT scan, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and MRI. The lesions were suspected to be peliosis hepatis-a rare morphological entity characterised by multiple blood-filled cavities in the liver. Because of uncertainty as to the aetiology of the lesions demonstrated at CEUS and MRI, the diagnosis was definitively confirmed by large-size needle biopsies. Regular size biopsies were initially insufficient for diagnosis. The use of oral contraceptives for several years or the recent pregnancy may have been the cause of peliosis hepatis in this patient.

Liver rupture is a serious, life-threatening event that is commonly due to blunt abdominal trauma, which should be suspected in a patient who is unconscious or unable to communicate. We report an autopsy case of a 28-year-old woman with severe developmental delay who presented to the emergency department with hemoperitoneum due to massive liver rupture and subsequently died without a diagnosis. An autopsy performed by the hospital pathology department confirmed hemoperitoneum due to hepatic rupture. The case was then referred to the medical examiner to exclude a traumatic etiology. After review of the clinical data, radiological images, and gross and microscopic pathological features, a diagnosis of peliosis hepatis was established. This rare entity has been reported previously as a cause of spontaneous, nontraumatic liver rupture and is reported here to demonstrate its characteristic features and potential to present as fatal hepatic rupture in circumstances in which occult injury must be excluded.

Peliosis hepatis is an extremely rare condition that may cause fatal hepatic hemorrhage and liver failure. We report a case of liver hemorrhage due to idiopathic peliosis hepatis. A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with slight right hypochondriac pain. She went into hemorrhagic shock, and computed tomography (CT) showed multiple low-density areas in the right liver with massive subcapsular blood collection. Selective transfemoral arteriography of the celiac artery revealed no signs of vascular malformation or tumor stain, but showed signs of pooling in the right posterior segmental artery. The artery was embolized with particles of gelatin sponge, and hemostatic control was successful. Although peliosis hepatis is extremely rare, the diagnosis is significant because of its urgent clinical status, and transarterial embolization is a useful and minimally invasive procedure for liver hemorrhage due to peliosis hepatis.

Peliosis is a rare benign disorder that is characterized by the presence of diffuse blood-filled cystic spaces and can occur in the liver, spleen, bone-marrow, and lungs. We present a 10-year-old boy with Fanconi anemia who presented with peliosis hepatis due to androgen treatment. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed multiple non-enhancing masses. Some of the lesions revealed fluid-fluid levels and extrahepatic extension on MR images. Diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging showed restricted diffusion. Fluid-fluid levels and extrahepatic extensions are unusual findings for hepatic peliotic lesions. In addition, DW imaging findings of peliosis hepatis have not been reported previously.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare pathological entity and may cause fatal hepatic hemorrhage and liver failure. Here, we present a young male patient with aplastic anemia, who had received long-term treatment with oxymetholone. The patient suffered from sudden onset of intra-abdominal hemorrhage with profuse hemoperitoneum. The patient was treated successfully with a right hemihepatectomy and is in good health after 13 postoperative months. We suggest that peliosis hepatis be considered in patients with hepatic parenchymal hematoma, especially in patients under prolonged synthetic anabolic steroid medication. The possibility of a potentially life-threatening complication of massive intra-abdominal bleeding should also be considered.

A splenic mass was found in an asymptomatic 76-year-old woman who had been treated with steroids for autoimmune hepatitis. The lesion was found to be hyperechoic on ultrasound examination, hypovascular on angiography, low attenuating on postcontrast computed tomography, isointense to splenic parenchyma on precontrast T1- and T2-weighted images, and showed inhomogeneous enhancement on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images. Splenic peliosis should be considered when diagnosing tumorlike conditions of the spleen because of its potential to cause splenic rupture.

We report here on an uncommon case of peliosis hepatis with hemorrhagic necrosis that was complicated by massive intrahepatic bleeding and rupture, and treated by emergent right lobectomy. We demonstrate the imaging findings, with emphasis on the triphasic, contrast-enhanced multidetector CT findings, as well as reporting the clinical outcome in a case of peliosis hepatis with fatal hemorrhage.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare condition characterized by dilatation of hepatic sinusoids and blood-filled spaces in the liver mainly observed in subjects exposed to toxic substances or estrogens, which is frequently asymptomatic. Non-cirrhotic idiopathic portal hypertension (NCIPH) is also a vascular disease of the liver rarely observed in European countries, which is usually diagnosed only when the hemorrhagic complications of portal hypertension occur. We report a case of NCIPH in a young Caucasian male who was diagnosed with liver peliosis, showing ultrasonographic and endoscopic signs of portal hypertension four years after. A second biopsy was diagnostic for NCIPH. Even if the pathogenesis remains obscure, peliosis hepatis can be considered as an early sign of vascular disease of the liver, which may progress to more definite conditions.

In Castleman disease, also known as giant lymph node hyperplasia, lesions are usually located in the chest. Peliosis hepatis is the presence of multiple blood-filled cysts in the liver. The combination of these two disorders in one patient is rare, with only three cases reported to date. We report the case of a 21-year-old man who presented with growth retardation and iron deficiency anemia. Work-up revealed hepatomegaly and multiple conglomerated giant lymph nodes near the splenic hilum. Once the mass was surgically removed, the patient's anemia rapidly resolved and he showed catch-up growth. The lymphoid tissue exhibited mixed histologic type, so the patient was diagnosed with both hyaline vascular type and plasma cell type Castleman disease. A liver biopsy obtained at surgery showed sinusoidal dilatation and blood-filled cysts, indicating peliosis hepatis. This is the fourth documented case of peliosis hepatis associated with Castleman disease. In addition to describing the case features, we discuss the possible pathogenesis of peliosis hepatis in the setting of Castleman disease.

Liver vascular lesions may occur in women on oral contraceptives. We report here spontaneous liver haemorrhage caused by peliosis hepatis, occuring in a 47-year old patient. She used oral contraceptives for many years. A computerized tomography and a magnetic resonance of the abdomen revealed a subcapsular liver hematoma without hemoperitoneum. Treatment consisted of supportive care with favourable clinical outcome. This observation point out a severe complication of peliosis hepatis. The authors review the etiology, diagnosis, complications, treatment and potential role of estrogen/progesterone supplementation as an etiological factor, in peliosis hepatis.

A 2.5-year-old boy with known myotubular myopathy (Spiro-Shy-Gonatas syndrome) and gonadorelin intake 9 months ante-mortem was found dead in his bed at home. At autopsy a ruptured subcapsular haematoma of the liver with resulting haemoperitoneum (600 ml) was found. Both lobes of the liver showed numerous circular blood foci <1 mm-2 cm in diameter. Signs of mechanical trauma such as bruising of the abdominal wall were absent. Histologically, the blood cysts were commonly connected to the sinusoids but did not have an endothelial lining and the reticular fibres showed ruptures. These pathomorphological findings are characteristic for peliosis hepatis and the cause of death was therefore determined to be exsanguination due to hepatic haemorrhage from peliosis hepatis instead of from mechanical trauma. To our knowledge this is the youngest casualty from peliosis reported so far.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare condition associated with a variety of diseases and drugs. We report a patient who developed peliosis hepatis while taking oral contraceptives. Three months after withdrawal of this oral contraceptive, reduction in size of these lesions was observed.

Although medical literature and differential diagnoses discussions tend to be organ specific, systemic diseases more commonly manifest with multi-organ involvement. Detection of dual organ involvement combined with clinical history narrows the differential to provide a more specific diagnosis. Two organs closely linked are the liver and the spleen. Many processes affect both of these organs through their common denominator, the reticuloendothelial system (RES). This pictorial essay reviews the wide spectrum of benign and malignant pathologies to be considered when computed tomography (CT) demonstrates concurrent focal disease in the liver and spleen.

A 50-year-old Danish man, who neither had wasting disease nor was taking steroid-containing drugs, complained of abdominal distension, due to a markedly enlarged liver. Percutaneous needle biopsies were taken from the liver, and the findings gave suspicion of a neoplastic tumor. Because of reduced liver function and treatment-resistant ascites, he underwent liver transplantation without a definite preoperative diagnosis. The resected liver weighed 2900 g, and almost all of the parenchyma was destroyed and replaced by multicystic blood-filled spaces, diagnosed as extensive peliosis hepatis complicating liver cirrhosis. Extensive peliosis with liver cirrhosis is a rare condition. Only two cases, caused by contraceptives and treated by liver transplantation, are reported in the English-language literature. We could find no cause other than alcohol abuse lasting several years in this patient, and classified the present case as idiopathic extensive peliosis hepatis. Although scarce subjective findings and misleading liver biopsies made an exact diagnosis difficult, an orthotopic liver transplantation was the only treatment for such complicated peliosis hepatis.

Introduction: Peliosis is an infrequent entity characterized by multiple blood-filled cavities mostly involving the liver. Peliosis hepatis usually appears as a rare autopsy finding in asymptomatic patients or in patients with chronic wasting diseases. However, peliosis hepatis may present as hepatic dysfunction or shock from hepatic rupture., Material and Methods: In our report we present the case of a 33-year-old woman with hepatic peliosis causing a hemoperitoneum resulting from liver rupture, which needed immediate surgical treatment. On the basis of symptoms and the laboratory parameters the acute abdomen was evaluated by abdominal ultrasound and CT scan, both revealing a hemoperitoneum and a lesion in the left liver lobe., Results: Embolization was performed by superselective catheterization of the left hepatic artery to stop the bleeding. After stabilization of the patient, left lobectomy of the liver was performed because of the ruptured 15-cm liver tumor. The patient recovered well and was discharged without residual complaints. Histopathologic analysis showed focal parenchymal peliosis., Discussion: The authors evaluate the effectiveness of the surgical strategy in a case of life-threatening focal hepatic disorder. Besides surgery, the authors emphasize the importance of invasive radiological interventions in these cases.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare entity that can affect children and cause fatal hepatic hemorrhage or hepatic failure. Radiographic findings are nonspecific and can resemble other hepatic pathologies such as cysts, abscesses, metastases, and hemangiomatosis. Peliosis hepatis can resolve spontaneously or by withdrawal of inciting medications. Certain cases may require surgical resection of the involved portions of the liver. Recently, fatal liver hemorrhage was reported in 2 pediatric patients with a rare congenital muscle disorder known as myotubular (centronuclear) myopathy. One of these patients was found at autopsy to have peliosis hepatis. The authors report the first successful treatment of life-threatening liver hemorrhage caused by peliosis hepatis in a child with myotubular myopathy. Awareness of this condition may reduce the catastrophic complications seen with peliosis hepatis., (Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.)

Technetium-99m red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy is a very specific method to differentiate a hemangioma from other hepatic masses. The authors report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma that showed a focal area of increased uptake on Tc-99m RBC SPECT in a 60-year-old man. Dynamic computed tomography and angiography revealed features of both hemangioma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Pathologic examination showed that the portion of the hepatocellular carcinoma that showed increased uptake on Tc-99m RBC scintigraphy had peliosis, which is the likely cause of the radiotracer avidity.

Peliosis hepatis is defined as the appearance of blood filled lakes in the hepatic parenchyma. It has been associated with various pharmacological agents and infections. Treatment has been primarily symptomatic and includes discontinuation of offending medications, partial hepatectomy or occasionally liver transplantation. We report a 58 year old white female on hormone replacement therapy who developed symptomatic peliosis hepatis and underwent successful superselective hepatic artery embolization with control of bleeding.

Peliosis hepatis, a condition characterized by the presence of blood-filled lacunar spaces in the liver, usually has a chronic presentation pattern and is mainly reported in adult patients in association with chronic wasting disorders and after administration of various drugs. The present report concerns two previously healthy young children in whom peliosis hepatis initially presented as acute hepatic failure and who had Escherichia coli pyelonephritis. Both patients had active intraperitoneal hemorrhage from the peliotic liver lesions, and liver ultrasonography showed multiple hypoechoic areas of different sizes, which in this context should suggest the diagnosis. One child died from hypovolemic shock and the other recovered. This study indicates that acute peliosis hepatis can be a serious life-threatening disease in children.

Peliosis hepatis is an uncommon liver condition characterized by blood-filled cavities. We report the CT, angiographic and MR features of a case of peliosis hepatis with no obvious etiology and spontaneously regressing hemorrhagic necrosis. Helical CT showed multiple peripheral low-density regions with foci of spontaneous high density suggesting the presence of blood component. On MR imaging, the multiple peripheral lesions were hypointense on T1-weighted and hyperdense on T2-weighted images, with bright foci on all sequences suggesting subacute blood. Angiography showed no evidence of tumor or vascular malformation; multiple nodular vascular lesions filling in the parenchymal phase and persisting in the venous phase suggested blood-filled cavities. Pathological examination showed blood-filled spaces with no endothelial lining, characteristic of the parenchymal type of peliosis. Knowledge of the imaging features of hemorrhagic necrosis due to peliosis hepatis is important since it can be responsive to antibiotic therapy. Furthermore, differentiating hemorrhagic necrosis from hepatic abscess avoids dangerous and sometimes fatal percutaneous drainage.

A rare case of peliosis hepatis associated with idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy is reported. A 75-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of marked edema and jaundice. Serum total bilirubin was elevated above 20 mg/dl. The liver biopsy under laparoscopy revealed marked sinusoidal dilatation and retention of red blood cells, which was consistent with a diagnosis of peliosis hepatis. Cardiac catheterization revealed right ventricular filling disturbance without specific findings on endomyocardial biopsy, suggesting idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy. The level of serum total bilirubin decreased in association with improvement of edema after drip infusion of furosemide therapy.

A 31-year-old woman was admitted because of persistent remittent fever. Tricuspid valve endocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus was identified as the cause of fever. The patient had no history of intravenous drug abuse, oral contraceptives or predisposing cardiac disease. Huge hepatomegaly was found without any signs of congestive heart failure. Liver enzyme abnormalities were not detected throughout the entire course of therapy. The liver biopsy specimen revealed peliosis hepatis. Treatment with panipenem/betamipron was successful, although recurrent septic pulmonary embolism occurred. The cause of the huge hepatomegaly encountered in the present case may be attributable to peliosis due to severe infection.

Clinical characteristics associated with bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis (BAP) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were evaluated in a case-control study; 42 case-patients and 84 controls were matched by clinical care institution. Case-patients presented with fever (temperature, > 37.8 degrees C; 93%), a median CD4 lymphocyte count of 21/mm3, cutaneous or subcutaneous vascular lesions (55%), lymphadenopathy (21%), and/or abdominal symptoms (24%). Many case-patients experienced long delays between medical evaluation and diagnosis of BAP (median, 4 weeks; range, 1 day to 24 months). Case-patients were more likely than controls to have fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, a low CD4 lymphocyte count, anemia, or an elevated serum level of alkaline phosphatase (AP) (P < .001). In multivariate analysis, a CD4 lymphocyte count of < 200/mm3 (matched odds ratio [OR], 9.9; P < .09), anemia reflected by a hematocrit value of < 0.36 (OR, 19.7; P < .04), and an elevated AP level of > or = 2.6 mukat/L (OR, 23.9; P < .05) remained associated with disease after therapy with zidovudine was controlled for. BAP should be considered an AIDS-defining opportunistic infection and should be included in the differential diagnosis for febrile, HIV-infected patients with cutaneous or osteolytic lesions, lymphadenopathy, abdominal symptoms, anemia, or an elevated serum level of AP.

Two cases of splenic peliosis are reported. Clinical and radiographic signs and laboratory results do not contribute greatly to diagnosis which is based on histology findings. Splenic rupture is the major complication and requires immediate splenectomy.