Peritoneal lavage and other diagnostic procedures in blunt abdominal trauma.

Diagnostic procedures such as peritoneal lavage, computed tomography, emergency angiography, nuclear scintigraphy, and contrast studies of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts can assist in the identification, quantification, and localization of injury after blunt abdominal trauma. Use of these procedures should be determined by careful clinically assessment as part of an aggressive approach to the diagnosis of the injured patient.