[Ultrasonographic scanning of patients with severe abdominal injuries]

The aim of this study was to describe our experiences with ultrasonography (US) of severely traumatised patients, and to show whether it is a safe and fast procedure when screening for intra-abdominal lesions.

In a period from 1996 to 1999, 876 patients were received by the trauma team. The number of patients with an injury severity score (ISS) > 15, was constant during the period. Seventy-five per cent of the patients were men. One hundred and fifty-five patients (18%) died, 111 before US was carried out.

Over the four-year period, the number of patients received by the trauma team increased from 150 in 1996 to 365 in 1999. The number of US examinations increased from 61 (1996) till 303 (1999). The number of pathological US scans was constantly about 20 per year, where as the number of pathological CT scans was between ten and 20 per year. The number of patients that went on to explorative laparotomy was between seven and 17 per year and 49 in the whole period. The sensitivity of US to detect abdominal lesions is 0.74 and the specificity 0.97, whereas that to detect free abdominal fluid is 0.88 and the specificity 0.99.

US of the abdomen is a fast and safe procedure to carry out on the severely traumatised patient. An algorithm for diagnosis is suggested.