Peliosis hepatis during postpartum period: successful embolization of hepatic artery

Peliosis hepatis is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of blood-filled spaces in the liver, and it usually has a chronic presentation pattern. It has been reported mainly in adult patients in association with various pharmacological agents and infections. The present report concerns a postpartum patient in whom peliosis hepatis initially presented as active intraperitoneal hemorrhage from peliotic liver lesions, with no obvious etiology. We report here a 31-year-old woman who developed symptomatic peliosis hepatis and underwent superselective hepatic artery embolization, with control of the bleeding. We also present the sonographic, computed tomographic, and magnetic resonance images and laparoscopic findings. The patient recovered well and was discharged without any complaints. The pathogenesis in this patient remains unclear, but it is suggested that in her case estrogens and progesterone could not have been responsible for the development of peliosis hepatis.