Traumatic Perforation of the Colon in the General Surgery Department of the Ignance Deen National Hospital-chu in Conakry (Guinea)

Aim: To describe the epidemiological, anatomoclinical aspects and management of traumatic colon perforations in general surgery at the Ignace Deen University Hospital in Conakry. Materials and methods: this was a retrospective study, descriptive type, lasting 5 years (September 2018 to September 2023). All successive records of patients operated on for traumatic colon perforation in the department during the study period were included. Results: We collected 70 cases of traumatic colon perforation, representing 5.8% of all operated abdominal traumas. The mean age was 30 ± 14 years, with extremes of 5 and 76 years. Males predominated (78.5%). Average hospital stay was 13.07 ± 6.07 days. The clinical picture was that of a peritoneal irritation syndrome. The etiologies were represented by road accidents (n=52; 47.4%). The transverse colon (32.86%) was the segment most affected. Simple suture repair was performed in 56 patients (80%). Postoperative complications included postoperative peritonitis (n=7; 10%). We noted 8 deaths, representing a mortality rate of 11.43%. Average hospital stay was 13.03±6.07 days. Conclusion: Traumatic perforations of the colon are frequent and occur more often in young male subjects. The transverse colon was the segment most affected. Primary suturing was the preferred method for colonic trauma in our context.