Psychological barriers in long term non-operative treatment of retroperitoneal hematoma

The retroperitoneal hematoma can have, mainly, a traumatic etiology - blunt abdominal trauma (falls from height, road accidents, aggression of any kind, etc.), or open (incised wounds, puncture, penetration or gunshot wounds). Ruptured arterial aneurysms can cause hemorrhage in the retroperitoneal space. There is also spontaneous retroperitoneal trauma in patients with chronic treatment with anticoagulant or antiaggregant drugs (1). Hemorrhage in the retroperitoneal space can be iatrogenic, after surgical, open or laparoscopic, interventions (2, 3). A particular type of retroperitoneal hematoma is the psoas muscle hematoma in patients with chronic oral anticoagulant treatment (Acenocumarol, Warfarin). The management of the retroperitoneal hematoma, whatever the cause may be, is, for most of the time, difficult. In case of traumatic etiology, the retroperitoneal hematoma is not the only lesion, being frequently associated with severe hollow or parenchymal organs injury or vascular lesions, which highlights the importance of a complete and precise clinical inventory of the lesions. The decision between an aggressive, surgical or interventional attitude and a conservative one, with monitoring, is often taken under pressure. Especially difficult are the cases in which the imaging results of the lesions is uncertain, when the patient presents hemodynamic instability, when other lesions can not be excluded, or when the parietal peritoneum is ruptured and the retroperitoneal hematoma gets into the peritoneal cavity, the patient presenting haemoperitoneum. For most of the time, these cases have indication for exploratory laparotomy, for a diagnostic, not therapeutic, goal.