Which aspect of the abdomen is better protected against penetrating trauma and why?
Posterior aspect. This is because the paraspinous muscles and vertebral column provide protection.
What are the four different mechanisms of trauma?
Penetrating trauma, non-penetrating trauma, thermal Injury and blast injury.
In penetrating trauma, what are two clinical signs which suggest that operative management may be required?
Tenderness not localised to area of injury. Absent or rare bowel sounds.
There is a large metallic knife penetrating from the left flank craniocaudally and lateral to medial traversing the posterior abdominal wall quadratus lumborum, paraspinal muscles, deep fibres of the left psoas and below the left transverse process and lateral to the pedicle of the L2 lumbar vertebra. The tip appears situated within the vertebral body of L2 approximately 1 cm before the anterior margin of the vertebral body. The anatomical course of the injury raises the possibility of nerve root damage.