Late presentation of jejunal perforation after thoracic trauma

Autor: Vasileios K. Kouritas, Kostas Hatzitheofilou, Efthimiou Matheos, M. Spyridakis, Ioannis Baloyiannis, Nikolaos Desimonas
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 27:1177.e1-1177.e3
ISSN: 0735-6757
Popis: Jejunal perforation is extremely rare in trauma especially without initial involvement of the abdomen. We present the case of a delayed jejunal perforation after thoracic trauma with no initial indication of abdominal trauma in a 55-year-old man who was admitted to our department after a road traffic accident. The patient sustained thoracic trauma with rib fractures of the left hemithorax and hemopneumothorax and a mild head injury. On the fourth day of his in-hospital stay, he complained of severe abdominal pain and signs of acute abdomen were observed. He underwent emergency laparotomy where a perforation of the jejunum near the ligament of Treitz was noticed and sutured. His postoperative recovery was uneventful. Physicians treating trauma should always have a high degree of suspicion regarding rare abdominal injuries, with delayed presentation, even if no abdominal involvement is noticed during the initial survey.
Databáze: OpenAIRE