Penetrating injuries of the diaphragm

Evaluation of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the diagnosis of diaphragmatic injuries

BACKGROUND

Injury to the diaphragm from penetrating or blunt thoracoabdominal trauma is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Chest radiography, computed tomography scan, contrast studies, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, and laparoscopy are inadequate; thus, celiotomy is commonly performed in patients with suspected diaphragmatic injury. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with that of exploratory celiotomy in the evaluation of diaphragmatic and thoracoabdominal injury.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Hemodynamically stable patients admitted to a level I trauma center with blunt or penetrating injury to the lower chest or abdomen underwent VATS and subsequent celiotomy under the same general anesthetic. Intraoperative thoracoscopic findings were blinded to the abdominal surgeons.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients were enrolled in the study over a 12-month period. Diaphragmatic injuries were identified in 8 patients (31%). Videothoracoscopy identified all eight injuries in these patients. Six of the 8 patients (75%) with diaphragmatic injuries sustained associated injury to intrathoracic or intra-abdominal organs. There was no mortality and no procedure-related morbidity. There were no missed injuries in patients who underwent VATS.

CONCLUSIONS

Video-assisted thoracoscopy is a safe, expeditious, and accurate method of evaluating the diaphragm in injured patients, and is comparable in diagnostic accuracy to exploratory celiotomy.

Selective surgical management of renal stab wounds

Patients with stab wounds and haematuria were selected for surgical exploration if they had signs of severe blood loss, an associated intra-abdominal laceration or major abnormality on the intravenous urogram (IVU). Patients without these signs were selected for non-operative management, consisting of bed rest, an intravenous antibiotic for 24 h and regular observation. Of 95 patients, 60 (63%) were selected for non-operative management (Group 1) and 35 (37%) were selected for primary surgical exploration (Group 2). At surgery in Group 2, a major renal injury and/or associated intra-abdominal laceration was found in 31 patients. Thus a probably unnecessary operation was performed in only 4 patients (4% of the whole group of 95 patients). Renal complications occurred in 12 of the 60 patients (20%) in Group 1 and consisted mainly of secondary haemorrhage caused by an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or pseudo-aneurysm. Management of the renal complications included segmental artery embolisation in 6, nephrectomy in 2, heminephrectomy in 1, open surgical ligation of an AVF in 1 and spontaneous resolution in 2 patients. The mean period of hospitalisation was significantly shorter in Group 1 (6.1 days) than in Group 2 patients (9.9 days). Comparing the Group 1 patients who developed renal complications with those who did not, we would recommend more aggressive selection for surgery of those patients exhibiting clinical signs of shock, a fall in haemoglobin during observation, a palpable abdominal mass, a haemothorax and/or pneumothorax ipsilateral to the renal injury, and IVU signs of extravasation, non-function, delayed excretion or hydroureteronephrosis due to blood clots.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)