Traumatic transection of the pancreas: a report of four cases

Four patients with transection of the pancreas by blunt trauma are reported. All were treated by distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. The three patients who survived were free from exocrine or endocrine deficiency at the time of discharge from hospital. One patient, whose transection was missed at the initial laparotomy, was operated upon later when in renal failure, and died from sepsis. Distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy seems the appropriate because other operations have high complication rates, and extirpation of the distal pancreas is not debilitating.