• The cut surface of this liver shows evidence of cirrhosis, with nodular regions that are visible on close examination.

• To the right of the specimen is a large organized blood clot that is lying just beneath the capsule of the liver.

• This is a typical location for hematomas of the liver, and rupture of these hematomas into the peritoneal cavity can have disastrous consequences to the patient.

• This particular hematoma shows evidence of significant level of organization and is therefore probably an old, healed lesion.

•Hematomas of the liver usually result from trauma.

•A hematoma is a collection of blood outside of the blood vessel, but confined within tissue.

•Not common

•Aside from the clinical condition that resulted in the hematoma, hematomas of the liver have no consequence.

•Occasionally, a very large hematoma, which continues to collect blood and is subcapsular in location can rupture into the peritoneal cavity with disastrous consequences.

•Grossly, a hematoma appears as a collection of blood, often between the capsule of the liver and the parenchyma.

•However, a hematoma can exist anywhere within the liver parenchyma.

•Microscopically, the lesion is characterized by a collection of blood lying outside of a blood vessel, usually not surrounded by a capsule.

• Current literature from PubMed at National Library of Medicine