Acute gastric dilatation after trauma.

Acute gastric dilatation is a condition which, if not diagnosed and therefore not treated, carries a high mortalitv.' While it usually complicates abdominal operations it has been reported after minor operations. The widespread use of nasogastric suction after abdominal operations has led to a considerable fall in its incidence in recent years. Many young surgeons will therefore have no experience of this condition. We report here two unusual cases of acute gastric dilatation, both of which followed trauma to the upper abdomen.