Penetrating Wounds of the Abdominal Wall
PENETRATING wounds of the abdominal wall represent a diflcult diagnostic problem to the clinician regarding the presence or absence of intra-abdominal injury. Immediate exploratory laparotomv has usually been advised to determine if an injury has occurred to the abdominal contents. This method of treatment has prevented most of the complications of penetrating abdominal wounds, but has resulted in a large number of unnecessary operations. At the Johns Hopkins Hospital during the past io years, only 40 per cent of abdominal stab wounds were shown at the time of surgery to have penetrated. In the present report a technique is described by which it can be determined whether penetration into the abdominal cavity has occurred. METHOD The procedure was carried out in each case in the Emergency Room, using standard roentgenographic equipment . The area around the stab wound is prepared with septisol and aqueous zephanim to establish a sterile field. A number 14 French catheter is inserted through the...