Review of Pancreaticoduodenal Trauma with a Case Report

Complex anatomical relation of the duodenum, pancreas, biliary tract, and major vessels plays to obscure pancreaticoduodenal injuries. Causes of pancreaticoduodenal injuries are blunt trauma (traffic accidents, sport injuries) in 25 % of cases and penetrating abdominal injuries (stab wounds and firearm injuries) in 75 % of cases. Duodenal injuries are reported to occur in 0.5 to 5 % of all abdominal trauma cases and are observed in 11 % of abdominal firearm wounds, 1.6 % of abdominal stab wounds, and 6 % of blunt trauma. Retroperitoneal and deep abdominal localization of duodenum as an organ contribute to the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. There are three important major points regarding treatment of duodenal injuries: (1) operation timing and decision, (2) Intraoperative detection, and (3) post-operative care. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose and treat duodenal trauma. We would like to present a 21-year-old male patient with pancreaticoduodenal injury who presented to our emergency service after firearm injury to his abdomen and discuss his treatment with a short review of related literature.