Appendiceal transection associated with seat belt restraint

Acute peritonitis secondary to post-traumatic appendicitis: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Blunt abdominal trauma has rarely been reported as a cause of acute appendicitis in the literature. However, the coexistence of the two conditions can cause issues for the patient. We present here a systematic review of cases of traumatic appendicitis as well as our own experience with a 12-year-old male patient.

CASE SUMMARY

A 12-year-old male was admitted 3 d after abdominal trauma, experiencing peritoneal syndrome. A pelvic formation was discovered during abdominal ultrasound, and surgical exploration revealed a perforated appendix. A literature review was conducted applying the keywords "appendicitis," "abdominal," and "trauma" to the PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases. Our initial search included 529 papers published between 1991 and 2022, of which 33 papers were finally included. They revealed 51 reported cases. The trauma mechanisms included road traffic accidents, falls, assaults, ball accidents, a horse kick, and a colonoscopy. Eight patients underwent surgical exploration with no prior radiological investigation, and twenty-six patients underwent an initial radiological examination. All reports indicated a perforated appendix.

CONCLUSION

Acute traumatic appendicitis represents a diagnostic quandary that can be misdiagnosed resulting in significant morbidity and potential mortality. A high level of suspicion combined with radiological examination may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Transection of the appendix and omentum following a seat belt injury; case report and literature review

Introduction

Appendiceal injuries following a blunt abdominal trauma are rare. Upon literature review, several cases have been reported to develop appendicitis following blunt abdominal trauma, but total transection of the appendix is extremely rare.

Case presentation

Our case involves a 24-year-old male restrained driver who was involved in a motor vehicle accident. He had bruising corresponding to the pattern of the seatbelt, the ‘seatbelt sign’, on admission. On his second day of admission, he was found to have a rigid abdomen. On exploratory laparotomy, the patient had a completely transected appendix with a 10 × 10 cm piece of transected omentum lying in the pelvic cavity.

Discussion

Literature suggests that seat belts may play a role in the mechanism of injury leading to transection.

Conclusion

Since the introduction of seatbelt in the 1970s, fatalities from road traffic accidents have fallen by up to 60%. However, the seat belt itself is associated with a unique injury profile, including intestinal tears, perforations, and transections, collectively termed “the seatbelt syndrome”. Seat belt syndrome injuries may sometimes have a delayed presentation, thus repeated abdominal examination is recommended even if the patient is initially stable. Appendiceal transection is rare but may occur. A thorough inspection of the abdominal soft tissue to look for accompanying injuries is important if case an exploratory laparotomy is warranted.

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Appendiceal injuries following a blunt abdominal trauma are rare.

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Appendiceal transection is associated with seat belt injury.

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Solid organ injury is more common in patients presenting with hemodynamic instability from onset, whereas bowel injury including appendix is more common in patients with delayed clinical signs.

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Although seatbelts provide significant protection in motor vehicle collisions and should be worn during driving, it can be a cause of intraabdominal injury, with the presence of a seatbelt sign raising suspicion.

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Accompanying injuries such as omental transection can also happen following BAT.

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A thorough inspection of the abdominal contents should be performed if an exploratory laparotomy is indicated.