TITLE:
First Reported Incidence of Delayed Secondary Abdominal Compartment Syndrome in a Trauma Patient with Scleroderma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
AUTHORS:
Luis G. Fernandez, Mohamed I. Abdelgawad, Mahmoud Omar, Marc R. Mathews, Scott H. Norwood, Alan D. Cook, Rebecca Swindall, Carly Wadle
KEYWORDS:
Scleroderma, Secondary Abdominal Compartment Syndrome, Trauma
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.13 No.4,
April
28,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Scleroderma is a complex
immune-mediated rheumatic disease that is characterized by fibrosis of the
skin, internal organs, and vasculopathy. Extensive fibrosis, especially in the limited compartment, has been reported to induce acute compartment
syndrome frequently reported involving the upper and lower extremities. Case
Presentation: We present a rare case of a 54-year-old Caucasian
female who underwent surgery for abdominal compartment syndrome in the setting
of scleroderma. Upon arrival, at the hospital, the patient’s health status showed signs of improvement with no
indicators of abdominal compartment syndrome until the tenth hospital day. A CT
scan showed a new intra-abdominal fluid collection with total lower abdominal
anasarca and a stable retroperitoneal hematoma. Following emergency surgery, significant bowel edema without other intra-abdominal injuries was noted. Conclusion: Secondary abdominal compartment syndrome may occur in patients with scleroderma
without evidence of intra-abdominal trauma or emergent abdominal surgery.
Further research is warranted to investigate the relationship between
scleroderma and secondary abdominal compartment syndrome.