J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2004 Aug;15(4):308-310.

Solitary Adrenal Hemorrhage in Blunt Abdominal Trauma: A case report

• Kim SJ
• Oh SC
• Lee SL
• Cho SJ
• Ryu SY
• Kim HY

Abstract

Several conditions are associated with adrenal hemorrhage, such as stress (e.g., in the postoperative state, with severe burns, or after myocardial infarction), sepsis, pregnancy, coagulopathy, thromboembolic or vascular disorders, treatment with ACTH, adrenal cysts, or tumors. Hemorrhage of adrenal glands in blunt abdominal trauma is rare because the adrenal glands are well protected due to their deep location and small size. In case of injury, injuries are mostly multiple injuries to the abdominal organs of the affected side. The exact cause for traumatic adrenal hemorrhage is not known. Among the factors discussed are systemic hypertension, direct compression of the adrenals, or shearing of small vessels, as well as a sudden rise in venous pressure. We report a rare case of right adrenal hemorrhage in a 10-year-old boy who experienced solitary right adrenal hemorrhage in blunt right upper quadrant abdominal trauma without liver or right kidney injury, or any other abnormality.

Keyword

Adrenal glands; Hemorrhage; Abdominal injuries

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Injuries
Adrenal Glands
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
Burns
Child
Hemorrhage*
Humans
Hypertension
Kidney
Liver
Male
Multiple Trauma
Pregnancy
Sepsis
Venous Pressure
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone