Conservative treatment without surgery is often possible, for example in children. However, good diagnostics and monitoring options must be available.
In the event of an operation, doctors first obtain an overview of the extent of the liver damage. They also check whether and which other organs are injured. In the case of minor liver ruptures, the damaged liver tissue is removed, injured blood vessels are sutured and intact liver tissue is reattached using sutures.
In the case of larger liver lacerations, so-called “packing” is used to stop the bleeding and stabilize the liver. Surgeons wrap abdominal drapes around the liver and compress the organ. This prevents blood from flowing into the abdominal cavity. They temporarily close the abdominal wall again. During this time, the patient remains in the intensive care unit and doctors monitor him or her regularly. After about two days, the cloths are removed again in another operation. Then they occasionally suture the injuries to the liver. It takes some time for patients to recover from this procedure. A rehabilitation phase usually follows.