Endoscopic treatment of a traumatic duodenal perforation: a case report. (I.F. 2.196)

Duodenal injuries represent a small but formidable, challenging group of pediatric trauma. Due to its protected retroperitoneal location, injuries to the duodenum are relatively uncommon in children, accounting for 3% to 5% of all blunt abdominal injuries (1, 2). However, due to their rarity and delayed diagnosis, duodenal trauma remains an important source of morbidity and mortality (3). Although over the past decades, management of blunt duodenal trauma has shifted from operative surgery to selective non-operative surgery; the former is still considered the cornerstone for primary repair of low-grade duodenal injury in order to reduce the length of hospitalization, ICU time, need for parenteral nutrition and overall complication rates (4, 5). However, endoscopic treatment through the use of operative accessories could provide an excellent alternative option to close limited wall defects without the need for surgery. Herein we describe the use of a clipping device present to close a post-traumatic duodenal perforation.