Strategy and outcome in bowel injuries after blunt abdominal trauma

: In this retrospective trial, we examined 215 patients with bowel lesions following abdominal injuries. We analyzed the diagnostic procedures, the time to diagnosis, the subsequent surgical therapy, and complications. The diagnosis of bowel lesions remains a diagnostic challenge. All apparative diagnostic procedures (sonography, CT-scan, lavage, laparoscopy, X-ray) fail to diagnose bowel lesions. In our trial, most patients showed clinical signs of peritonitis leading to diagnosis. Ultrasonographically guided puncture was important, if clinical signs remained unclear. This study underlines the importance of repeated clinical examination for early diagnosis and treatment of bowel injury.