Pattern of abdominal free fluid following isolated blunt spleen or liver injury in the pediatric patient.
BACKGROUND
This study correlated isolated, blunt liver or spleen injury with the presence, location, and amount of free fluid in the pediatric blunt trauma patient.


METHODS
The hospital trauma registry was reviewed for the period 1/89 to 12/99 for pediatric patients (age < or = 17 years) who sustained blunt, isolated spleen or liver injury and had an abdominal CT scan. Patients with other intraabdominal injuries or inadequate scans were excluded. CT scans were reviewed by two radiologists and the isolated liver or spleen injury confirmed and graded. The presence, location, and amount of free fluid were evaluated in the RUQ, LUQ, and pelvis. Free fluid was quantified as 0 = no fluid, 1 = small amount, 2 = moderate, and 3 = large for each area.


RESULTS
There were 134 pediatric patients with an isolated spleen (n = 66) or liver (n = 68) injury. Free fluid was noted in 101 patients (75%), more commonly with spleen (82%) than with liver (69%) injuries. As injury grade increased, so did frequency of patients with free fluid (grade 1 = 50% to grade 5 = 100%) and mean total volume (sum of fluid scores from each region) of free fluid (grade 1 = 0.75 to grade 5 = 6.5). The mean total volume of free fluid was greater for splenic injury (3.1) than for liver injury (1.7). The pelvis was the most common location for free fluid (liver 53%, spleen 71%) and had the greatest mean volume of free fluid (liver 0.9, spleen 1.5) of any single region.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a direct correlation between the severity of the isolated injury and the likelihood and volume of associated free fluid. The pelvis was the most common location to detect free fluid and had the greatest estimated fluid volume.
Nance
Michael L
ML
Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 41910, USA. nance@email.chop.edu
Mahboubi
Soroosh
S
Wickstrom
Maj
M
Prendergast
Frank
F
Stafford
Perry W
PW
D000293:Adolescent; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*