An unusual presentation of liver laceration in a 13-yr-old football player

Abstract

Abdominal injury occurs infrequently from athletic trauma, yet when it does occur, it can be very serious. Although rupture of a major blood vessel can lead to rapid loss of blood, insidious blood loss can also result from apparently insignificant injury of the spleen, liver, or kidney and lead to delayed problems. Awareness of the potential for such injury is vital because outcome can be adversely affected by a low index of suspicion, and this can be compounded by the fact that the initial physical examination is not always a reliable indicator of the severity of injury. Classic reports of these injuries describe splenic injury from a left-sided blow and hepatic injury from right-sided trauma. We present a case report of liver laceration in a young football player not only to comment on its unusual mechanism and presentation, but also to illustrate the importance of rapid assessment and transport of the athlete with a serious abdominal injury to avoid the consequences of delayed diagnosis and treatment.