Delayed Small Bowel Perforation Due to Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Society of Traumatology 2004;17(2):228-233.

Hyeon Soo Park, M.D., Jae Min Hur, M.D., Yong Sik Jung, M.D.*, Kug Jong Lee, M.D.

Department of Emergency Medicine, and Surgery^*
Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea

복부 둔상으로 인한 지연성 소장 파열 1례

박현수·허재민·정용식*·이국종

아주대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실, 외과학교실*

Abstract

Due to recent industrialization and increasing population, there has been increase in number of accident, which has subsequently led to increase in trauma patients. Blunt abdominal trauma is a supreme challenge to the emergency specialist’s clinical acumen. Historical data may be incomplete, absent, or presumptive. The symptoms and signs can be unreliable and obfuscated by head injury, alcohol, or depressed mental status(1). Although abdominal trauma is common, diagnosis and treatment has always been difficult due to the complex structure of abdomen, despite advance in diagnostic technique. If the patient show peritoneal irritation sign or hemodynamic instability immediately after abdominal trauma, there is need for open surgery to diagnose and to treat peritonitis and hemoperitoneum. However, it is known that patient may show no symptom or sign immediately but may result in delayed bowel perforation which could be fatal for the patient. Therefore we reported a case of peritonitis due to delayed bowel perforation 7 days after abdominal trauma.

Key Words: Small bowel perforation; Blunt abdominal trauma