[Treatment of liver injuries in personal clinical material from 1990-1996]

From 1990 to 1996 two hundred and sixteen patients with abdominal trauma were treated in our Department. In 170 cases there were blunt, and in 46-penetrating injuries (stab and gunshot wounds). Injuries of the other regions of the body coexisted in 117 patients (multiple trauma). In 42 cases (19.4%) abdominal trauma caused injury to the liver. In this group blunt mechanism of trauma also dominated (71%). The victims were usually young men (90% of the group, mean age - 35.3 years). The most common cause of injury were traffic accidents (47.6%), penetrating injury being the second commonest cause (12 patients i.e. 29%). Four patients were treated conservatively, the remaining 38 required surgical intervention. Most frequently liver suture and peritoneal drainage were performed (20), followed by liver tissue resections (16) and liver packing (12). Other surgical procedures to treat coexisting injuries were performed in 24 patients. In 22 patients postoperative complications occurred: liver abscess in 6 cases, hemorrhage in 4, wound infection in 4, biliary fistula in 2, intrahepatic aneurysm in 2 and other complications in 8 patients. The mean time of hospitalisation were of 20 days (range: 0-64 days). Mean volume of blood transfused equaled 6.9 U. There were 16 deaths (38%), in all cases in multiple trauma victims. All patients with penetrating liver trauma survived.