Abdominal trauma: the role and impact of computed tomography.

The selection of patients and technique for computed tomographic (CT) scanning of abdominal trauma are presented. CT is capable of detecting a wide variety of abdominal and retroperitoneal traumatic lesions and appears to be highly sensitive and specific. To a large extent it has displaced other modalities such as radionuclide scanning, ultrasonography, angiography, and peritoneal lavage in the comprehensive acute evaluation of the patient with abdominal trauma. Effects on patient management are evident in decreased incidence of unnecessary exploratory laparotomy, shorter hospital stays for observation, and earlier and more specific surgical intervention in appropriate cases. In light of these considerations, CT has proven very cost-effective.