Examination of the injured spleen using computer tomography

In blunt abdominal injury the most frequently injured organ is the spleen. A rapid and precise diagnosis of an injured spleen is therefore of great importance for early and correct therapeutic procedure. The authors present a group of 56 patients, who have been examined in the 1981-1987 years after blunt injuries of the belly by computer tomography. In 12 cases there was the diagnosis of subcapsular haematoma of the spleen, intraparenchymatous rupture was present in eight patients. In the remaining 36 cases the trauma of abdominal organs was not confirmed. All findings were verified by surgery or a control computer tomography and clinical examination of the patients. The authors demonstrate typical traumatic conditions. Computer tomography is a very useful method which enables a rapid, precise and non-invasive diagnosis of different degree of the spleen injury, its possible complications and differentiates these conditions from uninjured spleen. The authors present a brief survey of pictures of injured spleen in other methods of examination. In comparison with those methods, computer tomography is the most effective one, which provides a complex information of other organs of abdominal cavity. It also enables a considerate examination of patients severely injured and in non-cooperating ones.