Spontaneous iliopsoas muscle hematoma mimicking avascular necrosis in alcoholic liver cirrhosis: a case report.

Spontaneous hematoma of the iliopsoas muscle is rare but may cause limitation of hip flexion and functional inability of the affected limb, mimicking avascular necrosis of the femoral head in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. We report a rare case of spontaneous iliopsoas hematoma that caused a positive Patrick's sign and mimicked avascular necrosis in a patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. A 35-year-old female presented with left inguinal pain and limitation of motion. She had a history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. On physical examination, Patrick's sign was positive, suggestive of hip joint pathology. The Child-Pugh score was 9 and an acute decline in hemoglobin level was noted. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen indicated a 20-cm-sized hematoma along the left iliopsoas muscle. Because the patient's liver function was poor and there was no evidence of active bleeding from the iliopsoas muscle, a conservative treatment option was taken. On follow-up computed tomography one month later, the size of the hematoma decreased to 3.3 cm. Although avascular necrosis occurs frequently in patients with chronic alcohol intake, clinicians should be aware of iliopsoas muscle hematoma mimicking avascular necrosis as a clinically important bleeding complication of alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients to avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment.