Abdominal Anatomy
Injury to any region of the abdomen can of course create injury to any of the organs contained therein. However, commonly injury to a specific area will result in injury to those organs contained within that locality.
| Region | Organs potentially injured |
| Lower chest | Liver, spleen, diaphragm, stomach |
| Anterior abdomen | Liver, spleen, colon, bladder, stomach, pancreas, transverse colon, ileum, jejunum |
| Flank | Kidneys, ureters, ascending and descending colon |
| Posterior abdomen | Great vessels, duodenum, pancreas, spinal cord |
Fig 1 Organs of the lower chest (mid to lower thoracic cage) – 15% of stab wounds to this area are associated with significant visceral damage
Fig 2 Organs of the anterior abdomen (between anterior axillary lines) – 60% of injuries to this region penetrate the peritoneum and, of these, 40–50% cause visceral damage
Fig 3 Organs of the flank (between anterior and posterior axillary lines)
Fig 4 Organs of the posterior abdomen (from posterior axillary lines medially to spine)