Seat belts and traffic accidents are major causes of pediatric blunt gastrointestinal injury: Outcomes in a level 1 pediatric trauma center in Austria

摘要

To the Editors: Blunt gastrointestinal injuries (Gils) after abdominal trauma in the pediat-ric age group are extremely rare. Most children who experience blunt abdominal trauma are managed nonoperatively, making the diagnosis of intestinal injuries more difficult.1 The diagnosis of such injuries presents a dilemma and cannot be often established immediately, which, in turn, delays the implementation of treatment.2 Variations in the presentation of Gil, which range from intramural hematomas to perforations, also render the current imaging modalities as inaccurate.3 Intestinal obstruction after Gil can present immediately or can develop even 1 year after the trauma.1