Skip to main content
Annals of Surgery logoLink to Annals of Surgery
. 1988 Jan;207(1):72–74. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198801000-00014

The management of penetrating injuries of the back. A prospective study of 230 patients.

D Demetriades 1, B Rabinowitz 1, C Sofianos 1, D Charalambides 1, J Melissas 1, C Hatzitheofilou 1, J Da Silva 1
PMCID: PMC1493259  PMID: 3337565

Abstract

This is a prospective study of 230 patients with penetrating injuries of the back. The decision to operate or observe was taken exclusively on the abdominal physical findings. One hundred ninety-five patients (85%) did not require operation, 30 (13%) underwent a therapeutic laparotomy, four (1.7%) an unnecessary operation, and one patient (0.4%) had a completely negative laparotomy. The diagnosis and management was delayed in five (2.2%) patients with no serious consequences. Mortality rates were not recorded in this series. The initial physical examination was accurate in 95.2% of the patients. We suggest that penetrating injuries of the back should be assessed in the same way as anterior abdominal injuries. Physical abdominal examination is reliable in detecting significant intra-abdominal injuries.

Full text

PDF
72

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Coppa G. F., Davalle M., Pachter H. L., Hofstetter S. R. Management of penetrating wounds of the back and flank. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1984 Dec;159(6):514–518. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Demetriades D., Rabinowitz B. Indications for operation in abdominal stab wounds. A prospective study of 651 patients. Ann Surg. 1987 Feb;205(2):129–132. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198702000-00005. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Demetriades D., Rabinowitz B. Selective conservative management of penetrating abdominal wounds: a prospective study. Br J Surg. 1984 Feb;71(2):92–94. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800710204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Demetriades D., Rabinowitz B., Sofianos C. Non-operative management of penetrating liver injuries: a prospective study. Br J Surg. 1986 Sep;73(9):736–737. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800730919. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jackson G. L., Thal E. R. Management of stab wounds of the back and flank. J Trauma. 1979 Sep;19(9):660–664. doi: 10.1097/00005373-197909000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Peck J. J., Berne T. V. Posterior abdominal stab wounds. J Trauma. 1981 Apr;21(4):298–306. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198104000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Phillips T., Sclafani S. J., Goldstein A., Scalea T., Panetta T., Shaftan G. Use of the contrast-enhanced CT enema in the management of penetrating trauma to the flank and back. J Trauma. 1986 Jul;26(7):593–601. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198607000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of Surgery are provided here courtesy of Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins

RESOURCES