Major intra-abdominal complications following extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Abstract

A retroperitoneal bleeding is an unusual complication of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), which can be treated in a conservative way most of the time. However, an intra-abdominal bleeding after ESWL is extremely rare, which can cause life-threatening situations and requires an immediate intervention. Probably, only patients with a certain tissue fragility or connective tissue disorder are at risk to develop such an intra-abdominal bleeding. We present a case of a serious intra-abdominal bleeding due to a rupture of the vena mesenterica superior in an Ehlers-Danlos patient, evoked by an ESWL.