Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
-
Historical Article
Colonic trauma: modern civilian management and military surgical doctrine.
Colonic trauma, traditionally the domain of the military surgeon, has become commonplace in many parts of the world, where civilian surgeons have developed considerable experience with this complex type of injury. The author highlights the differences between military and civilian management concluding with an overview of current military research into battlefield colonic trauma. ⋯ Colonic trauma has been the subject of a military surgical research project, since 1992, with preliminary studies establishing an anastomotic technique suitable for use in the field. This work is summarized with an outline of the research programme.