Traumatic duodenal injuries

Eleven cases of duodenal injury are reviewed. A correct preoperative diagnosis was made in only one patient. In 10 patients, the duodenum was disrupted in the second part. When duodenal injury was associated with devitalisation of tissue or there was delay in operative intervention, repair was aided by a serosal patch graft. In these high risk cases, an attempt to defunction the injured area was done by suction gastrostomy or gastrojejunostomy with vagotomy, Three patients died and in two of these, there was delay in surgical intervention.