CLOSED HEPATIC-TRAUMA - ROLE OF COMPUTED AXIAL-TOMOGRAPHY IN NONSURGICAL THERAPY

We studied 33 patients with acute abdominal trauma, hepatic lesions an d intraperitoneal hemorrhage. No surgical attitude was adopted, analyz ing the CT appearance of the intraparenchymal lesions as well as the a ssociated hemoperitoneum. One of the patients who had suffered left he patic laceration did not have a good evolution. The most frequent lesi ons were intraparenchymal hematoma, lobar lacerations and subcapsular hematoma. In two cases, drainage of the intrahepatic collections were needed. The presence of hemoperitoneum was not an indication for emerg ency surgery. These results confirm the present tendency of conservati ve management with clinical, CT and ultrasound control of the differen t hepatic injuries, when the patients are hemodynamically stable.