Delay in diagnosing gastrointestinal injury after blunt abdominal trauma in children.

Intestinal perforation after blunt abdominal trauma in children is rare and thus the diagnosis may be delayed. For this reason the authors reviewed their experience with 12 children to recommend a protocol for investigation that would reduce the delay in diagnosis. Of the 12 perforations, 2 were gastric, 2 duodenal, 7 jejunal and 1 colonic. The diagnosis of jejunal perforation, in particular, was usually delayed because free air was not seen radiologically in the first few hours after injury. This may be because of delayed rupture or spasm of the injured intestine. Serial films were valuable in aiding the diagnosis and are recommended, together with assessment of solid organ injury by radionuclide scanning. In this series peritoneal lavage was not used. No child died.