Summary
Ten patients who sustained pancreatic trauma over a 10 year period are reviewed. Nine of the patients underwent emergency laparotomy. One patient was treated conservatively; his pancreatic injury was subsequently confirmed by endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP). In 9 patients the injury resulted from a road traffic accident and in 1 patient the injury was due to a kick in the upper abdomen. Associated injuries were present in 5 patients. Preoperative amylase estimation proved helpful in the diagnosis of 4 patients and ERCP in the case of 2 others. The post operative mortality was 20%. The post operative morbidity was 60%. Although no single procedure uniformly applies to these complex injuries, we advocate simple drainage for only trivial injury; for major injury of the body and tail we recommend distal resection. Whipple’s operation is reserved only for severe injuries to the head of the pancreas and/or duodenum.
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Keeling, P., Calthrope, D., Lane, B. et al. Blunt trauma to the pancreas: A report of 10 cases. I.J.M.S. 155, 431–435 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940547
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940547