[Retropancreatic hematoma mimicking a tumor in a female patient with liver amyloidosis].

Bleeding in patients with amyloidosis is considered as a frequent complication appearing in up to 40% of cases. It may be spontaneous or provoked. Spontaneous bleeding in the skin or in the gastrointestinal tract is the most frequent. Spontaneous bleeding in the retroperitoneum is rare. It may be diffuse, with possible lethal outcome, or localised, causing haematoma, as in our patient. We present a 62-year old woman with a three-month history of spontaneous, subcutaneous bleeding. No laboratory or other findings could explain the cause of bleeding, as the haemostatic tests were within or close to normal limits. US and CT performed for right subcostal pain discovered a tumour attached to the back of the head of pancreas. Due to mild coaugated hyperbilirubinaemia the "tumour" was held to be the cause of patient's difficulties. However, at operation it turned out to be a retropancreatic haematoma, which was removed and drained. Because of conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia cholecystectomy with operative cholangiography (which was normal) were performed. Due to steatotic appearance of the liver a biopsy was performed. Histological examination revealed amyloidosis. The recovery was uneventful and the patient was transferred to hepatology unit for further treatment where she died 3 months later due to gradual deterioration of kidney and heart function. To our knowledge, retroperitoneal haematoma in liver amyloidosis mimicking retropancreatic tumour has not been reported so far.