Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar was performed to identify English-language publications of blunt TAWH in patients <18 y old. Conflicts were resolved by consensus. Data were collected on demographics, associated injuries, management, and outcomes.
A total of 71 articles were reviewed with 100 cases of TAWH. A total of 82.5% of patients were male, and the median age was 9 y old (range 2-15). Injury by bicycle handlebars was most common (72%) followed by motor vehicle collision (14%). Forty patients had intraabdominal injuries, most commonly bowel (70%) or mesentery (37.5%). Rate of intraabdominal injury was significantly higher in patients with injuries due to nonbicycle handlebar injuries when compared with bicycle handlebar injuries (60.7% versus 33.3%, P = 0.02). Most patients were managed operatively (85%), most commonly via laparotomy (68/85, 80%), with six laparoscopic repairs and five laparoscopic converted to open repairs. There were three reported complications and no recurrences over a median of follow-up of 5 mo in patients who underwent repair.
Pediatric TAWH is a rare injury with a high rate of intraabdominal injuries, particularly when due to high-impact mechanisms such as motor vehicle collision. Although open repair is more commonly performed, laparoscopic repair has been described with success. Recurrence rates appear low, but follow-up has been short term.