A 56-year-old male presented to the emergency room 4h after a motor car accident during which his right lower quadrant sustained a direct hit by the gear-poke of a car. There was no history of previous abdominal wall hernias. The vital signs were stable. Abdominal examination revealed tender irreducible soft tissue swelling in the right iliac fossa with superficial ecchymosis and positive cough impulse. Muscular guarding, tenderness and rebound tenderness was observed all over the abdomen. Bowel sounds were absent. There were no associated injuries and the rest of the physical examination did not reveal any abnormality. The laboratory investigations were within the normal limits. The radiological examination of the cervical spine, chest and abdomen were normal. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a defect in the anterior abdominal wall muscles in the right iliac fossa with bowel loops herniating through the defect [].\nExploratory laparotomy was performed. There was about 200 ml of free blood in the peritoneal cavity and transverse tear of the mid-ileal mesentery causing a gangrene of approximately 20 cm of the bowel. There was also a defect of approximately 8 × 5 cm involving all the layers of the anterior abdominal wall muscles in the right iliac fossa with intact skin. Lacerated muscles were present at the edges of the defect. Active mesenteric bleeding vessels were ligated. The devascularized segment of ileum was resected and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. The mesenteric defect was closed. No other intraabdominal injuries were found. The abdominal wall defect was repaired in layers. The muscular and fascial defects were closed in the anatomic layers. The abdominal incision was closed in a standard manner. Postoperative course was uneventful. Follow up after 2 years showed no evidence of recurrence.
A 25-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department after falling off his bicycle. He was hit by the bicycle's handle bar into the left side of the abdomen. The clinical examination revealed a fit young man who had only a scratch (abrasion) on the abdominal wall left of the umbilicus. Hemodynamically he was normal and alert and referred to intense pain at the abrasion site. The abdomen was soft, without signs of peritoneal irritation while sensitivity was only at the point of the abrasion. Laboratory tests, including white blood cells, liver enzymes, and amylase, were normal. The abdominal X-ray in upright (standing) position did not reveal the presence of free intraperitoneal air. Abdominal ultrasound did not reveal any solid abdominal organ injury nor the presence of free intraperitoneal fluid. The pain was attributed to hematoma of the rectus abdominis muscle pricey below the abrasion which was revealed by ultrasound.\nThe pain of the young man was gradually worsening and was mostly described diffusely throughout the whole abdomen. The abdomen remained soft and tender without signs of peritoneal irritation. We proceeded to the administration of per os contrast material and CT abdomen. The CT scan revealed the presence of sufficient amount of free intraperitoneal contrast but did not allow the clarification of the exact point of escape. The free contrast material was detected at the left side of the abdomen, at the area of the descending colon but mainly in the pelvis (). The intraluminal contrast had even reached up the level of the transverse colon.\nThe patient was taken to the operating room for exploratory laparotomy immediately after the CT scan (4 hours after the arrival at the emergency department and about 4.5 hours after the time of injury). Intraoperatively, fecal peritonitis due to isolated rupture of jejunum 30 cm from the ligament of Treitz was revealed. The rupture was at the center of an extensive jejunum serous layer fissure giving the picture of “blow out” perforation. At the jejunal mesentery there was minimal bruising. Multiple washings of the peritoneal cavity were performed with normal saline, and the restoration of jejunal injury was done with partial resection and end-to-end anastomosis ().\nThe postoperative course of the patient was uncomplicated, and he was discharged on the 6th postoperative day. 9 days later he returned with clinical and radiological signs of ileus that led us to the operating room 48 hours later due to deterioration of his clinical picture. The cause of the ileum was adhesions, so we proceeded to lysis of adhesions. The anastomosis was normal without leakage. Five days later the patient was discharged, and a year later he is still free of symptoms.