Traumatic Liver Injury in Pediatric Patients

Purpose: Trauma is an important cause of death in children. In particular, the liver is the second most commonly organ injured by blunt abdominal trauma. Treatment of patients with liver injury is has changed, and non-operative treatment is the major treatment method at present. In this study, we reviewed traumatic liver injury in pediatric patients. Methods: Seventy-seven patients younger than 16 years of age with traumatic liver injury were assessed for 10 years from July 1999 to June 2009 at Wonju Christian hospital. Records of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Results: The median age was 6 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.2 : 1. The most common injury grade was grade I. The majority of injuries were caused by was traffic accidents, and the second most common cause of injuries was falls. Twenty-four patients had liver injuries alone, and the most common accopaning injury was a lung injury. The average hospital stay was 20.7 days, and the average ICU stay was 4.8 days. Four patients died (5.2%). There were 6 patients with under 10 points on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS). Among these patients, three died. All mortality cases had over 16 points on the Injury Severity Score (ISS). Two patients were treated surgically, one of whom died. Of the 75 patients with non-operative management, three died due to associated injuries. Conclusion: Most pediatric patients with liver injury have good results with non-operative management. Associated injuries and hemodynamic instability are predictive of patient outcome, and those with isolated liver injuries can be successfully managed non-operatively.

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