Zeitschrift für klinische Fallberichte

Pneumatic Colon Injury: A Case Study

Abstract

East B, Pazdírek F, Votava J and Hoch J

Introduction: Pneumatic colon injury is a severe condition rarely seen at general surgery departments that can pose some diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainty.

Patients and methods: A case study and review of the literature.

Results: A young male was admitted to our intensive care department after being attacked by his co-workers and inflated with a construction compressor. The damage to the colon revealed during the surgery was unexpectedly massive and exceeded the pre-operative CT scans. Our patient had to undergo a subtotal colectomy and recovered well after the surgery.

Conclusion: In pneumatic colon injury and emergency surgery should be the method of choice, as the damage to the large colon is often devastating. A prompt CT scan can offer more accurate information on its extent. However, it should only be done if readily available and not delaying the operation procedure.