Case report
Delayed presentation of a sigmoid colon injury following blunt abdominal trauma: a case report
1 Department of General Surgery, Düzce Atatürk State Hospital, 81100, Muncurlu, Düzce, Turkey
2 Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Düzce Atatürk State Hospital, Muncurlu, Düzce, Turkey
3 Department of General Surgery, İstanbul Surgery Hospital, Nişantaşı, İstanbul, Turkey
Journal of Medical Case Reports 2012, 6:247 doi:10.1186/1752-1947-6-247
Published: 20 August 2012Abstract
Introduction
The low incidence of colon injury due to blunt abdominal trauma and the lack of a definitive diagnostic method for the same can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, subsequently resulting in high morbidity and mortality.
Case presentation
A 66-year-old woman with sigmoid colon injury was admitted to our emergency department after sustaining blunt abdominal trauma. Her physical examination findings and laboratory results led to a decision to perform a laparotomy; exploration revealed a sigmoid colon injury that was treated by sigmoid loop colostomy.
Conclusions
Surgical abdominal exploration revealed gross fecal contamination and a perforation site. Intra-abdominal irrigation and a sigmoid loop colostomy were performed. Our patient was discharged on post-operative day six without any problems. Closure of the sigmoid loop colostomy was performed three months after the initial surgery.
