Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma in a child: report of a survival.

A 10-year-old girl presented in shock with symptoms and signs of an acute abdomen. Spontaneous rupture of a hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed by ultrasonography in the emergency room and confirmed by a computed tomography scan. Despite contamination of the peritoneal cavity, aggressive resection of the involved hepatic lobe and the contiguous tissues, without chemotherapy or radiotherapy, has thus far achieved a 3 1/2-year disease-free survival.