The evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma: the evolving role of ultrasound

There is a growing body of literature pertaining to the use of ultrasound in the evaluation of patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Multiple studies have looked at the use of this modality as a screening examination for the detection of intra-abdominal fluid and as a means of diagnosing specific organ injuries. Although ultrasound has been used extensively in Europe and Asia, it has only recently been used in the United States. In many centers, ultrasound is now being performed by emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons as part of the initial trauma evaluation. This paper summarizes the recent literature on the use of ultrasound in evaluating blunt abdominal trauma as an adjunct or an alternative to diagnostic peritoneal lavage and abdominal computed tomography.