Pancreatic trauma from a book

An early diagnosis of pancreatic trauma can be challenging and difficult because of the lack of correlation between the initial presenting features, radiological and laboratory findings, and the severity of the trauma. A high degree of suspicion is essential to diagnose pancreatic injury particularly in patients with blunt trauma to the abdomen. A computerised tomography scan is useful in making an early diagnosis of pancreatic trauma, localizing the site of the injury and in the identification of main pancreatic duct injury which has major implications in the management of the patient.

Here in, we report an interesting case of a 40-year-old woman who sustained a tear in the tail of the pancreas following a blunt injury to the pancreas while she was carrying a book in front of her abdomen and collided against an edge of a door-frame. She was managed conservatively without any complications.

A history of abdominal trauma, however trivial it may sound, needs to be appropriately investigated.