Spontaneous rupture of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour associated with life-threatening nontraumatic hemoperitoneum.

© 2008 Association médicale canadienne G stromal tumours (GISTs) are the commonest mesenchymal tumours of the digestive tract, with an incidence estimated between 10 and 20/106 people annually. GISTs are characterized by overexpression in the tyrosine kinase receptor through mutations of ckit or PDGFRA genes. The stomach is the most frequent site of GIST occurrence. Because of their high vascularity, GISTs are frequently associated with gastrointestinal bleeding and have been associated with severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage requiring either embolization or emergency surgery. Lifethreatening hemoperitoneum due to GIST rupture has not been described except after percutaneous diagnostic biopsy and in patients receiving imatinib mesylate treatment. We describe a case in which lifethreatening GIST rupture was associated with nontraumatic hemoperitoneum.