Abstract
A 4-year-old boy with severe abdominal pain and vomiting was transfered to our hospital on June 20th, 1985. The abdominal plain X-ray film showed bi-lateral subphrenic free air. Emergency operation was performed and the rupture was found in the first portion of duodenum. Debridement and closure of the rupture lesion, cholecystostomy and peritoneal drainage were done. IVH was administered for 2 weeks postoperatively. The postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on the 20th-postoperative day. Traumatic duodenal rupture was very rare in infants and children. Only twenty cases of traumatic duodenal rupture in childhood including our case were collected from Japanese literatures from 1966 to 1985 and reviewed. The rupture of duodenum occurred at the second and third portion of duodenum in 75 percent and was mostly prevalent in a 7 or an 8-year-old boy. The rate of complication was 50 percent in the cases which were treated over 24 hrs. after the injury. Overall mortality rate was 10 percent.
