Isolated Small Bowel Mesentery Injury After Steering Wheel Trauma

BACKGROUND: Isolated small gut mesentery injury after blunt abdominal trauma from the steering wheel in road traffic accidents is rare. These are always challenging to diagnose and pose a diagnostic dilemma. OBJECTIVES: To study the pattern of small gut mesenteric injury by steering wheel blunt abdominal trauma in road traffic accidents in patients who had laparotomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 10-year retrospective study was done to study isolated small gut mesentery injury. RESULTS: All patients who had isolated mesenteric small gut injury were males. Jejunal mesentery was involved in 13 whereas 4 had ileal mesentery injury. Tear were longitudinal or transverse. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated small mesentery injury after blunt abdominal trauma from the steering wheel in road traffic accidents is rare. Tears are either longitudinal or transverse. Suture repair is to be done. Delay in reaching hospital or reaching the diagnosis could lead to morbidity and mortality. Isolated mesenteric injury should be considered in any patient with blunt abdominal trauma from steering wheel injury with no evidence of any solid organ injury in unstable patients.