Resumen

VARGAS- SANABRIA, Maikel  y  FLORES- SANDI, Grettchen. Hemoperitoneo agudo espontáneo por ruptura de várices intraabdominales en un paciente con cirrosis hepática. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2006, vol.48, n.3, pp.139-141. ISSN 0001-6002.

We present the case of an alcoholic patient who died suddenly. The medicolegal autopsy found a massive hemoperitoneum and hepatic cirrhosis. Acute spontaneous hemoperitoneum secondary to intraabdominal variceal rupture in patients with hepatic cirrhosis whose first clinical manifestation is sudden death, is an extremely rare condition and therefore difficult from the medical point of view.

Palabras clave : sudden death; hemoperitoneum; abdominal apoplexy; intraabdominal variceal rupture; cirrhosis.