• Tyler J Loftus, Megan L Morrow, Lawrence Lottenberg, Martin D Rosenthal, Chasen A Croft, R Stephen Smith, Frederick A Moore, Scott C Brakenridge, Robert Borrego, Philip A Efron, and Alicia M Mohr.
• Department of Surgery, University of Florida Health, 1600 SW Archer Road, Box 100108, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
• World J Surg. 2019 Feb 1; 43 (2): 457-465.

BackgroundEarly recognition of bowel and mesenteric injury following blunt abdominal trauma remains difficult. We hypothesized that patients with intra-abdominal adhesions from prior laparotomy would be subjected to visceral sheering deceleration forces and increased risk for bowel and mesenteric injury following blunt abdominal trauma.MethodsWe performed a multicenter retrospective cohort analysis of 267 consecutive adult trauma patients who underwent operative exploration following moderate-critical (abdominal injury score 2-5) blunt abdominal trauma, comparing patients with prior laparotomy (n = 31) to patients with no prior laparotomy (n = 236). Multivariable regression was performed to identify predictors of bowel or mesenteric injury.ResultsThere were no significant differences between groups for injury severity scores or findings on abdominal ultrasound, diagnostic peritoneal aspirate/lavage, pelvic radiography, or preoperative CT scan. The prior laparotomy cohort had greater incidence of full thickness bowel injury (26 vs. 9%, p = 0.010) and mesenteric injury (61 vs. 31%, p = 0.001). The proportion of bowel and mesenteric injuries occurring at the ligament of Treitz or ileocecal region was greater in the no prior laparotomy group (52 vs. 25%, p = 0.003). Prior laparotomy was an independent predictor of bowel or mesenteric injury (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.6-16.8) along with prior abdominal inflammation and free fluid without solid organ injury (model AUC: 0.81, 95% CI 0.74-0.88).ConclusionsPatients with a prior laparotomy are at increased risk for bowel and mesenteric injury following blunt abdominal trauma. The distribution of bowel and mesenteric injuries among patients with no prior laparotomy favors embryologic transition points tethering free intraperitoneal structures to the retroperitoneum.

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