Pancreatic trauma with surgical indication. Case series in three centers in Montevideo-Uruguay

Introduction: Pancreatic trauma is a rare event in 0.5-8% of trauma patients, with high morbidity and mortality (8.6-15%). Diagnosis is generally difficult, so clinical suspicion must be high. Associated visceral injuries are the rule. The challenge lies, in addition to the diagnosis, in making a correct classification of these lesions, which will have therapeutic implications that directly influence the morbidity and mortality of this pathology. Objective: To report a series of cases of patients with pancreatic trauma who required surgery. Methods: A retrospective observational analysis was carried out on patients with open or closed abdominal trauma undergoing surgery who presented pancreatic injury. Results: A series of 5 clinical cases of traumatic pancreatic injuries are described, in which penetrating trauma predominates. All required surgical treatment due to the presence of hemodynamic instability and open trauma with evisceration of intra-abdominal organs. Treatment was individualized, using different surgical techniques depending on the degree of pancreatic injury and hemodynamic status. Of the complications, pancreatic fistula was the most frequent and there were no deaths in the series of cases presented.