title: Abdominal trauma: from operative to nonoperative management.
abstract: The nonoperative care of intraabdominal trauma in the polytraumatised patient greatly depends on imaging techniques. The haemodynamically unstable patient should undergo expedient sonography to rule out abdominal haemorrhage. The use of computer tomography (CT) in this difficult patient group is also currently evaluated, however it takes specific amendments to the protocol and institution. In the hemodynamically stable patient however, computer tomography is the modality of choice to evaluate the injured abdomen. Nonoperative treatment can be successful in up to 80% of selected cases. Adjuncts to nonoperative care include embolisation of the spleen and liver in cases of arterial bleeding, and endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreaticography (ERCP) and stenting for injuries to the biliary tree.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands. lleenen@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Luke P H
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Leenen
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D001201:Ascites / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007813:Laparotomy; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D010533:Peritoneal Lavage; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating