[Hemoperitoenum as presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma: experience in three cases with spontaneous tumoral rupture and review of the literature].

Hemoperitoneum due to spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes a life-threatening situation if no appropriate therapy is provided. This complication is a well-known form of HCC presentation in countries with high incidence of liver tumours, but is an unusual event in Western countries, where it has been described in 5% or less of cases with HCC. We report three patients admitted to our centre with acute hemoperitoneum secondary to non-traumatic rupture as a first manifestation of not previously diagnosed HCC. A review of the related literature is also performed.