Cases of pediatric intra-abdominal solid organ injury induced by blunt trauma experienced over a 15-year period at two centers in Japan

OBJECTIVE: The present study attempts to clarify the clinical features of pediatric intra-abdominal solid organ injury at two institutions. METHODS: The injured organ, patient age, sex, injury grade, imaging findings, intervention, length of hospital stay, and complications were retrospectively reviewed using medical records at two centers from 2007 to 2021. RESULTS: There were 25 cases of liver injury, 9 of splenic injury, 8 of pancreatic injury, and 5 of renal injury. The mean age of all patients was 8.6±3.8 years old, with no difference between organ injury types. Radiological intervention was performed in four cases of liver injury (16.0%) and one case of splenic injury (11.1%), and surgery was performed in two cases of liver injury (8.0%) and three cases of pancreatic injury (37.5%). All other cases were treated conservatively. Complications included adhesive ileus in one case of liver injury (4.0%), splenic atrophy in one case of splenic injury (11.1%), pseudocysts in three cases of pancreatic injury (37.5%), atrophy of the pancreatic parenchyma in one case of pancreatic injury (12.5%), and urinoma in one case of renal injury (20.0%). No mortalities were observed. CONCLUSION: Pediatric patients with blunt trauma had favorable outcomes at two pediatric trauma centers covering a broad medical area, including remote islands.