Hepatic parenchymal injury A retrospective study of 150 cases

ABSTRACT

A retrospective study was carried out on 150 cases, 80% were males and 20% were females. 62% of cases were due to blunt trauma and 38% were due to penetrating injuries. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage and abdominal ultrasonography proved to be excellent tools for diagnosis of hepatic injuries, while the value of CT scan was not proved due to the small number of cases [3 cases]. 70% of cases were treated with simple technique of hemostasis while, 30% needed advanced technique. Hepatic packing was used in 20% of cases with omental packing in 18% and peri-hepatic packing in only 2% of cases. 6 of patients in this work developed intraabdominal abscesses and needed drainage with corrugated rubber drains. Another 6 patients needed reoperation for closure of wound dehiscence. The mortality rate was 10%; a relatively low figure due to exclusion of major hepatic vascular injuries from this study, also due to death of patients with severe hepatic injuries during transport to hospital