Liver Injury Scale – Part 1
The liver is a large organ located on the right side of the abdominal cavity. It is commonly injured in blunt trauma, particularly in patients who are riding a bicycle and struck by an SUV. To describe the severity of blunt injury to the liver, trauma surgeons have devised the following scale (last revised in 1994):
Grade I – A non-expanding subcapsular (just under the liver surface) hematoma that is < 10 cm of the liver surface OR a capsular tear that is not bleeding and that is less than 1 cm deep into the liver parenchyma (tissue).
Grade II – A non-expanding subcapsular hematoma (collection of blood) that is 10-50% of the liver surface OR a non-expanding intraparenchymal hematoma OR an actively bleeding capsular tear < 10 cm in length that is 1-3 cm into the liver tissue.
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