Ureteric trauma is rare, occurring in < 1% of all traumas. We present a unique case of a 13 year old female who sustained a penetrating abdominal injury from a bicycle handlebar. Upon initial examination there was herniation of bowel through the abdominal wound, so exploratory laparotomy was performed. A serosal injury of the colon and bleeding mesenteric veins were encountered; the retroperitoneum was not explored at that time. Postoperative course was remarkable for a doubling of the serum creatinine, increasing abdominal distention and pain. Computed tomography on postoperative day five demonstrated a large amount of intra-abdominal fluid. The patient was taken for re-exploration. The left ureter was found to be completely transected. It was repaired over a double-J stent. This case demonstrates the need for a high index of suspicion in the diagnosis of ureteric injury.

Trauma pancreaticoduodenectomy (TP) remains a challenging operation with morbidity and mortality rates as high as 80% and 50%. Many trauma surgeons consider it surgical dogma to avoid performing a TP during the index operation for patients with severe pancreatic or duodenal injuries. However, there is no modern analysis evaluating this belief. Therefore, we hypothesized no difference in risk of mortality between patients with severe pancreatic or duodenal injury undergoing a TP for penetrating trauma to propensity-matched controls undergoing laparotomy without TP. The Trauma Quality Improvement Program (2010-2016) was queried for adults with severe penetrating pancreatic or duodenal injuries undergoing laparotomy. A 1:2 propensity-matching including demographics/comorbidities, injury severity score, vitals on admission, Glasgow Coma Scale and concomitant injuries for laparotomy with or without TP was performed. Risk of mortality was reported using a univariable logistic regression model. Of 2182 patients with severe pancreatic or duodenal injuries undergoing laparotomy, 54 (2.5%) underwent TP and 2128 (97.5%) underwent laparotomy without TP. There were no differences in propensity-matching characteristics. Patients undergoing TP had a similar mortality rate (20.0% vs. 28.7%, p = 0.302) but a longer length of stay (LOS) (27.5 vs. 16.5 days, p = 0.017). The TP group had a similar associated risk of mortality (OR = 0.62, p = 0.302) but higher risk of major complications (OR 3.44, CI 1.35-17.47, p = 0.015). In appropriately selected penetrating trauma patients with severe pancreatic/duodenal injuries, TP is associated with a similar risk of mortality compared to laparotomy without TP. However, TP patients did have an increased associated risk of major complications and longer LOS.