[Retroperitoneal injuries: introduction (author's transl)]

Injuries of the retroperitoneal organs occur mainly in patients with multiple traumas. Spine and spinal muscle provide an effective protection against blunt trauma from behind. In the front the thin peritoneal layer is just a biological border. Therefore injuries of the abdominal and retroperitoneal organs frequently occur together. Direct clinical examinations are limited by the specific anatomical situation; further invasive diagnostic procedures deal mainly with indirect effects of retroperitoneal injuries. Massive hemorrhage with consequent retroperitoneal hematoma is the dominant pathophysiologic course; mortality is high.