Abdominal Organ Injuries in Youth Soccer: A Case Series and Review of Literature

We describe 13 children who presented to the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (HMC) with pediatric soccer-related abdominal organ injuries. A review of the Pennsylvania Trauma System Foundation's Trauma Registry was performed between 2001 and 2015 for children with soccer injuries hospitalized at trauma centers across Pennsylvania. Out of 52 children at Hershey Medical Center, 13 suffered abdominal organ injuries. Injuries included the spleen [5], kidney [4], liver [2], and combined organ involvement [2]. All patients presented with abdominal and/or flank pain. All patients with kidney injuries presented with hematuria. All patients presented after a player-to-player (P2P) contact. Nearly all patients (12/13) were treated nonsurgically. Our findings showed that abdominal organ injuries constitute a substantial portion of pediatric soccer injuries requiring hospitalization, with spleen being the organ injured most frequently. Soccer-related abdominal organ injuries should be suspected in players who suffer abdominal and/or flank pain, and/or hematuria after a P2P contact.