INJURIES TO THE HOLLOW VISCERA

Abstract

In abdominal blunt or penetrating trauma patients, despite of the initial assessment and stabilization, careful diagnosis of associated injuries and immediate treatment in obvious cases, we must be concerned about missing injuries of hollow viscera that can disclose itself later, delaying definitive treatment, with consequent worse prognosis. Based in high suspicion related to the mechanism of trauma and associated injuries in the initial evaluation, diagnostic peritoneal lavage and radiological exams must be indicated in the effort to confirm the existence of hollow visceral injuries. Currently, there is no method with such specificity and sensitivity to define diagnosis by itself. Among the organs injured in abdominal trauma, the small bowel is the most frequent in penetrating wounds, followed by colon, stomach and duodenum. The hollow viscera injuries are less common in blunt trauma, however usually associated to higher severity and other injuries. The treatment is surgical, usually with primary repair, guided by the anatomical injury severity and patient general conditions.