Sonographic monitoring in blunt abdominal injuries in children

: Sonography is nowadays the most important examination in diagnosing lesions of the parenchymatous organs after blunt abdominal trauma. Also for monitoring this method is recommended. Under the premises of 1. no clinical deterioration, 2. the possibility for repeated ultrasound investigations, and 3. readiness to operate at any moment it is possible to treat traumatized parenchymatous organs conservatively. This is of utmost importance in paediatric surgery because of the risk of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection after splenectomy especially for young children. Examples for conservative treatment for trauma to spleen, liver and kidney are discussed.