TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 66. Diagnostic Peritoneal Lavage A1 - Reichman, Eric F. Y1 - 2013 N1 - T2 - Emergency Medicine Procedures, 2e AB - The diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) was first described in 1965 by Root who described a method for sampling the peritoneal cavity to determine more rapidly the presence of a hemoperitoneum after trauma.1 The initial physical examination can be misleading in up to 45% of blunt trauma patients.2 A DPL can be useful in diagnosing abdominal injury in a timely fashion.2 It is performed less frequently today due to the use of focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) bedside ultrasound scanning and helical computed tomography (CT). The DPL is the only invasive test of the three and remains the most sensitive test for mesenteric and hollow viscus injuries.3,4 SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57706818 ER -