Hollow viscus rupture due to blunt trauma.

The results of current pediatric surgical texts suggest that the damage sustained by solid abdominal viscera after blunt trauma is best treated expectantly. Therefore, a child with significant intra-abdominal pathology is managed nonoperatively. For this reason, missed or unexpected pathology may be inappropriately treated. This is the major problem faced by the surgeon caring for these children. A review of 56 patients seen after blunt abdominal trauma is reported; ten of this group had hollow viscus ruptures. It was found that special investigations were of no aid in guiding management policy. This decision remained a clinical one, which stresses the importance of the interpretation of abdominal signs made by the surgeon who is caring for the patient and the role he or she plays in the treatment of children with blunt trauma.