Revisiting Sports Precautions in Children With Solitary Kidneys and Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract

Trends in Presentation and Management of Pediatric Renal Trauma

OBJECTIVE

We queried the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) to evaluate the presentation, management, and outcomes of renal trauma in children from birth to 18 years from 2007-2018.

METHODS

Patients were categorized as infants (0-1 year), toddlers (2-4 years), children (5-9 years), preteen (10-14 years), and teens (15-18 years), and patient demographics, grade of injury, and mechanism of injury including sports-related trauma (SRT) were collected. Each group was then evaluated for the level of management and patient outcome.

RESULTS

We identified 3720 patients with renal trauma. Our cohort was predominantly White (68.5%), male (68.6%), and required public insurance (38.5%). Most injuries were low grade (86.7%) and managed non-operatively (94.7%). The overall mortality was 51 (1.4%). Younger patients (infants, toddlers, children) were more likely to present with complex injuries and they were more likely to have been involved in a motor vehicle accident. They had higher blood transfusion rates, longer inpatient courses, higher levels of admission acuity, and higher mortality. Patients in the older age groups presented most after SRT. Across all age groups, the most common source of SRT was limited contact sports; however, when considering only teens, full contact sports were the primary offending activity. This review of the PHIS database provides insight to the rates and patterns of pediatric renal trauma in the United States.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest an age-related differences in the presentation, management, and outcomes of pediatric renal trauma patients.

Post-transplant education for kidney recipients and their caregivers

Successful outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation require the involvement of the transplant team as well as recipients and their caregivers. Enhancing patient and family understanding of the disease and of post-transplant care can result in improved adherence and outcomes. Educational strategies should aim to be broad, understandable, innovative, and inclusive while maintaining a tailored approach to individualized care. Teaching should not be viewed as a one-time event but rather as an ongoing conversation throughout the duration of care, emphasizing different aspects throughout the patient's various developmental stages. The following review article discusses the content and methods of post-transplant education.

Management of the congenital solitary kidney: consensus recommendations of the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology

In recent years, several studies have been published on the prognosis of children with congenital solitary kidney (CSK), with controversial results, and a worldwide consensus on management and follow-up is lacking. In this consensus statement, the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology summarizes the current knowledge on CSK and presents recommendations for its management, including diagnostic approach, nutritional and lifestyle habits, and follow-up. We recommend that any antenatal suspicion/diagnosis of CSK be confirmed by neonatal ultrasound (US), avoiding the routine use of further imaging if no other anomalies of kidney/urinary tract are detected. A CSK without additional abnormalities is expected to undergo compensatory enlargement, which should be assessed by US. We recommend that urinalysis, but not blood tests or genetic analysis, be routinely performed at diagnosis in infants and children showing compensatory enlargement of the CSK. Extrarenal malformations should be searched for, particularly genital tract malformations in females. An excessive protein and salt intake should be avoided, while sport participation should not be restricted. We recommend a lifelong follow-up, which should be tailored on risk stratification, as follows: low risk: CSK with compensatory enlargement, medium risk: CSK without compensatory enlargement and/or additional CAKUT, and high risk: decreased GFR and/or proteinuria, and/or hypertension. We recommend that in children at low-risk periodic US, urinalysis and BP measurement be performed; in those at medium risk, we recommend that serum creatinine also be measured; in high-risk children, the schedule has to be tailored according to kidney function and clinical data.

Wilms tumour

Wilms tumour (WT) is a childhood embryonal tumour that is paradigmatic of the intersection between disrupted organogenesis and tumorigenesis. Many WT genes play a critical (non-redundant) role in early nephrogenesis. Improving patient outcomes requires advances in understanding and targeting of the multiple genes and cellular control pathways now identified as active in WT development. Decades of clinical and basic research have helped to gradually optimize clinical care. Curative therapy is achievable in 90% of affected children, even those with disseminated disease, yet survival disparities within and between countries exist and deserve commitment to change. Updated epidemiological studies have also provided novel insights into global incidence variations. Introduction of biology-driven approaches to risk stratification and new drug development has been slower in WT than in other childhood tumours. Current prognostic classification for children with WT is grounded in clinical and pathological findings and in dedicated protocols on molecular alterations. Treatment includes conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy and surgery, and radiation therapy in some cases. Advanced imaging to capture tumour composition, optimizing irradiation techniques to reduce target volumes, and evaluation of newer surgical procedures are key areas for future research.

Evaluation and Management of Traumatic Conditions in the Athlete

The athletic training room is filled with a multitude of conditions encompassing many different specialties of medicine. When it comes to traumatic injuries in the training room, many of them are not musculoskeletal in nature. Ultrasound in the training room can help identify serious and subtle solid-organ injury and small pneumothoraces. The discussion of these conditions follows a simple outline that helps identify injury/conditions through a proper history and physical. Evidence-based treatment/management/return to play guidelines are discussed.

Renal trauma: a 3-year audit from a Gold Coast trauma centre

BACKGROUND

Limited data Exists ? on the Australian epidemiology of renal trauma, with very few studies published in the literature. The authors aim to detail the trends of renal trauma in the coastal city of the Gold Coast.

METHODS

Retrospective data collection yielded 81 patients who sustained renal trauma from our 3-year period. Data included information on demographics, mechanism, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade, presence of haematuria, associated injuries, management, and complications.

RESULTS

Male patients accounted for 83% (n = 67) of cases, and the average age of all injuries was 36 years. Low-grade AAST Grade I-III injuries comprised of 76% (n = 62) of injuries, AAST Grade IV contributed to 20% (n = 16) and 4% (n = 3) of injuries were AAST Grade V. The most common mechanism of injury was road accidents accounting for 35% (n = 28) followed by fall-related injuries (26%, n = 21). Other mechanisms included sport-related (13.5%, n = 11), non-motorized bicycle injuries (8.5%, n = 7), alleged assault (8.5%, n = 7), pedestrian injuries (5%, n = 4) and horse-related injuries (2%, n = 2). Ninety-six percent (n = 78) of kidney injuries were managed conservatively. Of the patients requiring intervention, all were AAST Grade V kidney injuries.

CONCLUSION

Males accounted for the majority of renal trauma cases, similar to the 3:1 ratio of male-to-female injuries found in other studies. In line with other studies, renal trauma reviewed on the Gold Coast also revealed road trauma as the leading cause, closely followed by falls. The majority of high-grade renal trauma was managed conservatively.

[Solitary kidney: Management and outcome]

Solitary functioning kidneys form an important subgroup of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). A solitary kidney can be congenital or acquired after unilateral nephrectomy and is often associated with ipsilateral urogenital anomalies. Both types of solitary functioning kidney are associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A low functional nephron number results in compensatory glomerular hypertension and enlargement of remnant nephrons, indicating glomerular hyperfiltration. Glomerular hyperfiltration may lead to glomerulosclerosis, which further results in hypertension, proteinuria, and decline of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the long run. About 20-30% of patients with solitary functioning kidney have hypertension, proteinuria, or reduced GFR during childhood, especially those with associated CAKUT. Regular and lifetime monitoring (including growth, blood pressure, serum creatinine, proteinuria or microalbuminuria, and renal ultrasound) is required. The frequency and modality of follow-up should be adapted to individual risk for CKD. Early detection of renal injury and timely nephroprotective measures are critical.