Nonoperative Treatment in Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Abstract

62 patients with blunt abdominal trauma were hospitalized in the University of Selçuk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery between October 1989 and November 1992. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) and ultrasonography (US) was employed on all of the patients and CT was employed on the 18 stable patients. All patients were taken into nonoperatlve treatment according to prepared treatment plan.

4 patients with findings of peritonitis and 12 patients with hemodynamic instability out of 62 patients were operated between 4-26 hours. The rest of the 46 patients (74%) were treated nonoperat'tvely without considering whether they had splenic and/or hepatic injury and also the degree of bleeding in the fluid of peritoneal lavage.

It was concluded that when patients with blunt abdominal trauma were followed with frequent abdominal examination beside DPL, US and CT (n steady patients), the incidence of nontherapeutc laparotomy would decrease without increasing tin rate of wrong diagnosis.