Changing concepts of treatment of traumatic injuries of the colon

Summary and Conclusions Prognosis is good in patients with simple performation of the colon without other visceral involvement. In our series of cases of this type there was no mortality. The so-called lag period, prior to therapy, had little bearing on the final results. Complications are more common in colostomy cases. Morbidity is less with primary suturing of the colonic wounds. In this paper are reviewed 128 cases of traumatic injury of the colon treated at a large community hospital from 1945 to 1957. The methods of treatment employed were colostomy, exteriorization of the damaged portion of the colon, and primary suturing of the colonic wound. Complications, mortality rates and morbidity of each method are discussed.