[Splenic echography in blunt abdominal trauma].

Eighty emergency US exams of the spleen for blunt abdominal trauma were performed in 1988-1989 to evaluate US accuracy and reliability. A real-time scanner with convex probes (3.5 and 5 MHz) was employed. The results were confirmed at surgery and/or clinics and instrumental examinations. Nineteen patients were positive at US (1 false-positive); US patterns were: 16 focal lesions of the spleen--6 of them isolated, 7 associated with endoabdominal effusion, and 3 with increased splenic size and endoabdominal effusion--and 3 with isolated hemoperitoneum. Splenectomy was performed on 16/80 patients (20%): 13 of them were positive at US, while in 3 patients splenic lesions were not demonstrated. Five patients were followed with clinical and instrumental examinations to complete remission. Our results [85.7% sensitivity (18/21) and 71.4% specificity (15/21)] confirm US reliability in the evaluation of splenic lesions in blunt abdominal traumas.