Background: Determination of intra-abdominal injury following blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) continues to be a diagnostic challenge. Ultrasound (US) bas been described as a potentially useful diagnostic tool in this setting and is being used with increasing frequency in trauma centers. We determined the diagnostic capability of US in the evaluation of BAT. Methods: A retrospective analysis of our trauma US database was performed over a 30-month period. Computed tomographic scan, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, or exploratory laparotomy confirmed the presence of intra-abdominal injury. Results: During the study period, 8,197 patients were evaluated at the Ryder Trauma Center. Of this group, 2,576 (31%) had US in the evaluation of BAT. Three hundred eleven (12%) US exams were considered positive. Forty-three patients (1.7%) had a false-negative US; of this group, 10 (33%) required exploratory laparotomy. US had a sensitivity of 86%, a specificity of 98%, and an accuracy of 97% for detection of intra-abdominal injuries. Positive predictive value was 87% and negative predictive value was 98%. Conclusion: Emergency US is highly reliable and may replace computed tomographic scan and diagnostic peritoneal lavage as the initial diagnostic modality in the evaluation of most patients with BAT.

A hollow viscus injury is an uncommon but potentially dangerous intra-abdominal injury that can result from blunt abdominal trauma. It can be misdiagnosed in patient, particularly when the patient has other concerning findings. Also, diagnosis can be increasingly difficult in a patient with a pre-existing ventral hernia and chronic abdominal pain. In this case we present a 66-year-old women, with a history of a large ventral hernia and chronic abdominal pain, who presented to the emergency department after a motor vehicle crash (MVC). Patient denied abdominal tenderness at the time of presentation and the initial computed tomography (CT) did not demonstrate any abnormal findings within the abdomen. Patient later began experiencing increased abdominal pain and presented with a small bowel perforation within the hernia that required a bowel resection and hernia repair. A review of the literature reveals that not only are hollow viscus injuries rare but there appears to be few documented cases of viscus injuries occurring within a existing ventral hernia.

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi testar a capacidade da tomografia computadorizada helicoidal com múltiplas fileiras de detectores (TCMD) na identificação/exclusão de lesões em vítimas de ferimento por arma de fogo (FAF) abdominal. Os achados de imagem foram comparados aos cirúrgicos em todos os pacientes da amostra. A TCMD demonstrou elevada acurácia na avaliação de órgãos sólidos, vísceras ocas, grandes vasos e diafragma. Quase a metade dos pacientes (45,2%) não exibiu lesões que necessitassem obrigatoriamente de correção cirúrgica. A TCMD mostrou-se excelente na avaliação dos pacientes da amostra, podendo contribuir com informações importantes ao manejo de vítimas de FAF abdominal. / The main objective of this study was to test the ability of multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in the identification/exclusion of lesions in abdominal gunshot wound (GW) victims. The imaging findings were compared with the surgical ones in all of the studied patients. MDCT demonstrated elevated accuracy in the evaluation of solid organs, hollow viscus, great vessels, and diaphragm. Almost half of the patients (45.2%) did not show lesions requiring obligatory surgical interventions. MDCT showed to be excellent in the evaluation of the studied patients, and can contribute with important information for the management of abdominal GW victims.

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi testar a capacidade da tomografia computadorizada helicoidal com múltiplas fileiras de detectores (TCMD) na identificação/exclusão de lesões em vítimas de ferimento por arma de fogo (FAF) abdominal. Os achados de imagem foram comparados aos cirúrgicos em todos os pacientes da amostra. A TCMD demonstrou elevada acurácia na avaliação de órgãos sólidos, vísceras ocas, grandes vasos e diafragma. Quase a metade dos pacientes (45,2%) não exibiu lesões que necessitassem obrigatoriamente de correção cirúrgica. A TCMD mostrou-se excelente na avaliação dos pacientes da amostra, podendo contribuir com informações importantes ao manejo de vítimas de FAF abdominal. / The main objective of this study was to test the ability of multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in the identification/exclusion of lesions in abdominal gunshot wound (GW) victims. The imaging findings were compared with the surgical ones in all of the studied patients. MDCT demonstrated elevated accuracy in the evaluation of solid organs, hollow viscus, great vessels, and diaphragm. Almost half of the patients (45.2%) did not show lesions requiring obligatory surgical interventions. MDCT showed to be excellent in the evaluation of the studied patients, and can contribute with important information for the management of abdominal GW victims.

La traumatologie est la première cause de mortalité chez les sujets de moins de 40 ans dans les pays industrialisés. Le choc hypovolémique lié à une hémorragie du tronc est une cause fréquente de décès, à la fois sur les lieux de l’accident mais également pendant la prise en charge pré-hospitalière et intra-hospitalière. L’existence d’un hémopéritoine est un facteur de sous estimation du traumatisé grave.Le contrôle lésionnel, mieux connu sous les anglicismes « damage control ressucitation » et « damage control surgery », est le paradigme moderne de la prise en charge du choc hémorragique d’origine traumatique. Il comprend une mise en condition minimaliste privilégiant la réalisation d’une hémostase chirurgicale précoce et rapide, suivie d’une réanimation intensive associant transfusion massive, réchauffement et optimisation de la coagulation. Le traitement chirurgical exhaustif des lésions traumatiques est différé au delà de la période d’instabilité.Chez le blessé hémorragique agonique, la thoracotomie de ressuscitation avec clampage de l’aorte thoracique est une pratique courante mais dont les bases factuelles ne sont pas bien établies. En revanche en pathologie artérielle, la voie d’abord endovasculaire a très largement fait preuve de son efficacité.Nous avons émis l’hypothèse qu’un clampage aortique endovasculaire de l’aorte thoracique par voie rétrograde est possible et que cette technique améliore le profil hémodynamique dans le territoire myocardique et cérébral tout en augmentant la survie en cas de choc hémorragique lié à un traumatisme abdominal.Nos résultats suggèrent que cette technique de sauvetage est efficace, même s’il semble exister des limites corrélées à la durée de l’ischémie/reperfusion viscérale et médullaire. / Trauma is the leading cause of mortality in industrialized countries for people aged below 40 years. Fifty percent of the pre hospital and in hospital mortality from severe blunt and penetrating abdominal traumas is due to an hemorrhagic shock. Peritoneal bloody effusion is the main reason to under estimate the seriousness of trauma.Damage control resuscitation (DCR) and damage control surgery (DCS) typify the current paradigm of hemorrhagic torso trauma management. Damage control includes a basic pre operative management before a short surgical control of bleeding followed by intensive resuscitation care based on massive blood transfusion, palliation of hypothermia and correction of biological coagulation disorders. According to this strategy, the curative surgical treatment is postponed until the patient has been stabilized.Some authors have reported on the efficacy of resuscitation thoracotomy with aortic crossclamping in the emergency room in patients with severe abdominal trauma . However, the end results of such a procedure are contrasted and its use is still debated. More recently, endovascular approach has emerged in the management algorithm of some vascular emergencies. We hypothesized that an endovascular retrograde occlusion of the thoracic aorta would be a safe and efficient to preserve hemodynamic profile in cardiac and cerebral area, and to improve survival in case of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock caused by an abdominal trauma.Our results sustain this hypothesis, even if its benefits seem time-limited, according to the medullar and visceral side-effects of ischemia/reperfusion.