[Peritoneal lavage for the early diagnosis of intraabdominal injuries in blunt traumas. Personal results].

Peritoneal lavage has been found to be a simple, uncomplicated method of examination providing much information in cases of blunt abdominal trauma. It permits decision to start surgical procedures in adequate trauma at short notice and is performed routinely at our clinic in patients suffering from craniocerebral trauma, even in the absence of clinical symptoms of intraabdominal lesions. The advantage of the method is little need of time, personnel and surgery as well as the fact that it can be applied also by relatively unskilled doctors and does not really require a specialist. The precision of the method is high. An important factor for successful application is the use of sufficient quantities of a lavage solution.