Abdominal injuries associated with thoraco-lumbar fractures after motor vehicle collision
Abstract
The goal of the current study was to evaluate the risk of intraabdominal injury in children who sustained spinal fractures in a motor vehicle collision (MVC). Between 1980 and 1999, 48 patients, 24 girls and 24 boys, with a mean age of 12.8 years (range, 4 to 17) were reviewed. Twenty-nine were rear seat passengers, 12 front seat, and 7 unknown. Fifty-eight percent wore a seat belt. Thirty fractures involved the lumbar spine, 12 the thoracic, and 6 combined. Computed tomography (CT) scan, abdominal ultrasound, and peritoneal lavage were used to screen for abdominal injuries. Twenty-two of 48 patients had an intraabdominal injury. Eighteen (38%) required an early (<24 hours; n = 12) or delayed (n = 6) therapeutic laparotomy. Fourteen patients were rear seat passengers, 15 wore a seat belt, and 13 had an abdominal wall ecchymoses (AWE). They were 17 lumbar fractures (13 Chance) and one thoracic. The most common findings at laparotomy were hollow viscus injury (n = 12), mesenteric tear (n = 9), and solid organ injury (n = 8). Seventy-two percent of patients presenting with a lumbar fracture and AWE needed a therapeutic laparotomy. The overall survival rate was 98% with only 1 death. The mean hospital stay was 22.4 days. In this st...Continue Reading
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Ataxias (MDS)
Ataxia is a neurological condition characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including loss of coordination, balance, and speech. Discover the latest research on ataxia here.
Ataxia
Ataxia is a neurological condition characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including loss of coordination, balance, and speech. Discover the latest research on ataxia here.