Traumatic hemoperitoneum and massive hematoma due to inferior epigastric artery injury after acupuncture therapy: a case report

Traumatic hemoperitoneum and massive hematoma due to inferior epigastric artery injury after acupuncture therapy: a case report

Unintentional damage to blood vessels has been reported to occur mainly while performing medical procedures; however, it has also been reported because of oriental medical acupuncture. Herein, we present the case of a 68-year-old woman who underwent acupuncture with long-needle treatment on the abdomen to treat back pain and complained of a large hematoma in the abdominal wall and hemoperitoneum caused by an inferior epigastric artery injury. The patient complained of abdominal pain, distension, and syncope after acupuncture and was admitted to the emergency department. Hematoma and hemoperitoneum were diagnosed, and bleeding was stopped using angiography and transarterial embolization (TAE). There are various treatment methods for inferior epigastric artery injuries. In this case, a life-threatening blood vessel injury occurred due to acupuncture therapy, which could be treated with TAE, a less invasive method that does not require general anesthesia.