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Colorectal barotrauma following compressed air spray to the perineum

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Abstract

Colorectal injuries caused by high-pressure air compressors are rare and reported especially among industrial workers. They may appear because of intended or accidental injury. In the present paper, we report a case of colorectal injuries due to air insufflation from a distance towards the anus with the clothes on, as a means of a practical joke. The patient presented one day after the trauma to the Emergency Department with complaints of severe abdominal pain and vomiting. On examination, he had signs of peritonitis. A computed tomography (CT) scan did not show any perforation. Emergency laparotomy was performed with the suspicion of pneumatic pressure-induced lesions. A total resection of the colon was made with enterostomy. The pathologic examination of the resected piece revealed multiple gangrenous areas without perforation associated to signs of peritonitis. Follow up was uneventful. A reversal of the enterostomy was scheduled.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Research Laboratory LR12SP14, Teaching Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, 5000, Monastir, Tunisia

    Mariem Bel Hadj, Dorra Oualha, Nidhal Haj Salem & Ali Chadly

  2. Department of Surgery, Teaching Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, 5000, Monastir, Tunisia

    Ibtissem Korbi

  3. Department of Pathology and Cytology, Teaching Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, 5000, Monastir, Tunisia

    Nouha Ben Abdeljelil

  4. University of Monastir, 5000, Monastir, Tunisia

    Mariem Bel Hadj, Ibtissem Korbi, Dorra Oualha, Nouha Ben Abdeljelil, Nidhal Haj Salem & Ali Chadly

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  1. Mariem Bel Hadj
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  2. Ibtissem Korbi
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  3. Dorra Oualha
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  4. Nouha Ben Abdeljelil
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  5. Nidhal Haj Salem
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  6. Ali Chadly
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Correspondence to Mariem Bel Hadj.

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Bel Hadj, M., Korbi, I., Oualha, D. et al. Colorectal barotrauma following compressed air spray to the perineum. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 17, 689–692 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-021-00421-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-021-00421-w

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