Observation vs. early drainage for grade IV blunt renal trauma: a multicenter study

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to compare observation and early drainage by ureteral stenting in patients with blunt renal trauma and urinary extravasation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective national multicenter study was performed including all patients admitted for renal trauma at 17 hospitals between 2005 and 2015. Patients presenting with a urinary extravasation on initial imaging were considered for inclusion. Patients were divided in two groups according to the initial approach: observation vs. early drainage by ureteral stent (within 48 h after admission). The primary endpoint was the persistence of urinary extravasation on follow-up imaging.

RESULTS

Out of 1799 patients with renal trauma, 238 were included in the analysis (57 in the early drainage and 181 in the observation group). In the early drainage group, 29 patients had persistent urinary extravasation vs. 77 in the observation group (50.9% vs. 42.5%; p value = 0.27). The rates of secondary upper urinary tract drainage did not differ significantly between the early drainage group (26.4%) and the observation group (16%) (p = 0.14). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of secondary nephrectomy (0% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.34), and death from trauma (0% vs. 1.8%; p = 0.99). In multivariate analysis, early drainage remained not statistically associated with persistence of urinary extravasation on follow-up imaging (OR = 1.35; p = 0.36) CONCLUSION: In this multicenter cohort, observation was not different from early drainage in terms of persistent urinary extravasation after grade IV blunt renal trauma. Further randomized controlled prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings.

[Renal Trauma]

INTRODUCTION

Renal traumas are common, observed in 10% of patients with abdominal trauma. Most renal traumas are blunt, resulting from a direct hit or from an abrupt deceleration.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We realized a synthesis of renal trauma management for nurses.

RESULTS

Clinical presentation often encompasses gross hematuria and lumbar pain. The best diagnostic tool is computed tomography (CT) urogram. Based on CT urogram images, renal traumas are classified according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) classification in five grades of increasing severity. The management is conservative in the vast majority of cases and has been largely simplified over the past few years, being now mostly based on observation. Radiological interventional and endoscopic procedures are used only in very selected cases and surgical exploration has become extremely rare.

CONCLUSION

The prognosis has also considerably improved and renal trauma rarely result in death or loss of the kidney nowadays.