[Traumatic jejuno-ileal ruptures: apropos of 18 cases at the Central Hospital of Yaounde].

Eighteen blunt small bowel traumas were reviewed in this retrospective study (1986-1996) concerning 12.8% of laparotomies for blunt abdominal trauma. The clinical presentation at admission was peritonitis (9 cases) or hemoperitoneum (4 cases) whereas 5 cases were diagnosed lately because of non specific signs at the beginning. All patients underwent surgery: simple suture or suture after excision of edges (12 cases); resection anastomosis (6 cases). There were no post-operative complications in most of the cases. The mortality rate was 5%. Blunt small bowel traumas are not frequent in our practice. Their diagnostic is often per-operative. If the clinical signs of intraperitoneal lesion are not present, a clinical follow-up by repeated and thorough physical examination can permit an early diagnosis. The surgical treatment is simple, and the prognosis more linked to severe associated lesions than the bowel lesion.