Hemoperitoneum is the presence of free blood within the peritoneal cavity, the space surrounding the abdominal organs. In trauma patients, the FAST examination uses ultrasound to rapidly detect hemoperitoneum by looking for free fluid in the hepatorenal recess (Morrison’s pouch), the splenorenal recess, the pelvis, and around the heart. In non-trauma settings, hemoperitoneum can result from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, a ruptured ovarian cyst, a ruptured spleen, or a bleeding liver tumor. Fresh blood may appear anechoic like other fluids, or it may contain echogenic clot material. Detection of significant hemoperitoneum in an unstable patient often leads directly to emergency surgery.
Sonography Term