RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The frequency of bowel and mesenteric injuries is increasing. They are difficult to diagnose and delays in their diagnosis leads to a significantly increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the computed tomography (CT) in the detection of blunt bowel and mesenteric injuries. METHOD: Between January 2000 and October 2007, 79 patients with blunt abdominal trauma (60 men and 19 women) were included in our study. They underwent laparotomy after performing the abdominal CT. The CT findings were compared with the findings at laparotomy in order to determine the accuracy of the CT in the detection of bowel and mesenteric injuries. RESULTS: For the detection of bowel and mesenteric injuries we obtained for the CT: Sensitivity=84.2%, Specificity=75.6%, Positive Predictive Value =76.2%, Negative Predictive Value =83.8%, Positive Probability Value=3.45 and Negative Probability Value =0.21. Accuracy: 79.7%. CONCLUSION: The abdominal CT is suitable for detecting bowel and mesenteric injuries following blunt abdominal trauma.