Background: As trauma is the leading cause of mortality and related complications in Iran, colon rupture and injury during trauma is of much importance as well. In present study through a three-year epidemiological study, cases of colon ruptures and injuries along with the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in Isfahan Al-Zahra and Kashan Shahid Beheshti hospitals were reviewed.

Materials and Methods: During a three-year period (2007-9), a number of 28 patients with post-traumatic colon ruptures were studied in two educational hospitals of Isfahan and Kashan. This retrospective survey was based on the patients’ medical records. Collected data was included of sex, age, cause and site of rupture, clinical manifestations, type of surgical treatment, mortality, and length of hospital stay.

Results: Fourteen patients (50%) had penetrating and another 14 ones (50%) blunt traumas. Mean age for the penetrating and blunt traumas were 26/21 ±11/98 and 35/07 ±16/8 years, respectively. The most reported injury sites were sigmoid and transverse colon for blunt and penetrating traumas, respectively. Colostomy with or without repair has often been performed for the penetrating traumas. One penetrating trauma case (7/2%) and 5 blunt trauma cases (35/7%) have deceased in the hospital. In terms of the severity of peritonitis, in penetrating trauma patients, 10 cases (71/4%) and 4 cases (28/5%)) were in stage I and stage IV, respectively, but for blunt traumas, 12 cases (85/7%) and one case (7/2%) and one case (7/2%) were in stage I, stage III, and stage IV, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups. Average length of hospital stay was 13/07±7/97 (range 6-28) days for penetrating traumas and 11/71±9/8 (range 6-40) days for blunt traumas, with no significant difference between two groups.

Conclusion: Summing up, the study demonstrates that cases of post-traumatic colon rupture are in accordance with other causes of colon rupture in terms of mortality. In spite of the suggestions of reference texts and regarding the lower severity of the peritonitis, in most penetrating traumas, surgeons still resort to colostomy as a supporting factor for repairing or even as an independent treating approach.