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Liver Trauma

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Textbook of Emergency General Surgery

Abstract

Liver injuries represent one of the most common consequences of abdominal trauma. Management of liver trauma has evolved significantly over the last decades, with significant improvement in outcomes and a progressive shifting from operative management (OM) to non-operative management (NOM). The management decision process is based on the hemodynamic status, the anatomic grade of the injury, and associated injuries, but the ultimate key factor in driving the choice of non-operative management is the hemodynamic stability of the patient. Thanks to the aid of innovative endovascular techniques, NOM showed high success rates even in major hepatic injuries (grades IV and V, American Association of Surgery of Trauma [AAST] classification). Operative treatment remains essential in case of unstable patients. In terms of surgical management, rapid conservative surgery and damage control techniques have progressively gained consent over major, time-consuming procedures.

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Coccolini, F., Cremonini, C., Chiarugi, M. (2023). Liver Trauma. In: Coccolini, F., Catena, F. (eds) Textbook of Emergency General Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22599-4_95

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22599-4_95

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