Background & Objectives: Patients in unstable condition with blunt abdominal trauma require rapid evaluation of abdominal organs to assess the need for laparatomy. Ultrasonography is a fast technique which can be used in the resuscitation area to detect free intraperitoneal fluid as an indication of intraabdominal injury. This prospective study was designed to determine the efficiency of emergency abdominal sonography for evaluating patients with blunt abdominal trauma and to compare the accrurcy of ultrasonography with the results of diagnostic peritoneal lavage and CT scan.

  Methods: Emergency sonography was performed prior to diagnostic peritoneal lavage and CT scan on 174 patients with blunt abdorminal trauma. Sonography was performed with FAST ( Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma) technique and six area of the abdomen where examined to detect free intraperitoneal fluid.

  Results: The results of this study revealed that ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 95% a specificity of 80.8%., and an overall accuracy of 89.4% for detecting free intraperitoneal fluid. The positive and negative predictive value of sonography was 89.4% and 90.1% respectively.

  Conclusion: Ultrasonography is a reliable method for the emergent evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma and can be used instead of diagnostic peritoneal lavage.