Citation

Taylor GA, O'donnell R, Sivit CJ, Eichelberger MR. Radiology 1994; 190(3): 689-694.

Affiliation

Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Radiological Society of North America)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8115612

Abstract

PURPOSE: To develop a clinical scoring scheme that can be used to predict the risk of abdominal injury in children after blunt trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Presenting clinical features and outcomes, including the need for surgery, were reviewed for 793 children who underwent computed tomography (CT) after blunt abdominal trauma. These data were submitted to a logistic regression model to identify predictors for major abdominal injury. An abdominal injury score was developed on the basis of results of these analyses; higher scores denoted a progressively higher risk. RESULTS: The proportion of children with abdominal injury increased significantly with progressively higher scores (P = .0001). There was no significant difference between the predicted and actual frequency distributions of abdominal injury (P = .782). Patients were assigned to low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups according to abdominal injury score, with a predicted probability of abdominal injury for each group of < or = 5%, 6%-15%, and > or = 16%, respectively. Frequency of major abdominal injury increased with higher scores, as did the need for laparotomy. CONCLUSION: The abdominal injury score shows promise as a useful tool for triage of children considered for emergency CT after blunt abdominal trauma.

Language: en