Renal trauma: a 6-year retrospective review from a level 1 trauma center in Denmark

Background: Management of renal trauma injuries is shifting towards more conservative approaches in hemodynamically stable adult patients, even for high grade and/or penetrating trauma. The objective of this study was to analyze the patterns of injury, management and complications in renal trauma patients at a Danish university hospital with a level 1 trauma center. Method: Patients diagnosed with renal trauma at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, between January 2010 and December 2015 were identified retrospectively by the ICD-10 code. Data were collected from electronic patient records. Imaging was classified by radiologists. Results: Out of 107 patients identified, blunt injuries comprised 93%. Median age was 28. The distribution of injury grade according to AAST was 20% grade I, 4% grade II, 33% grade III, 33% grade IV and 10% grade V. All patients with grade I-III were managed conservatively. Two patients were treated with angioembolization (1 with grade IV and 1 with grade V). Five patients with grade IV were treated with an internal ureteral stent and one patient with grade IV blunt trauma had an emergency nephrectomy performed. Overall complication rate was 7%. No patient died due to their renal injury. Renal function was normal in all patients at discharge, assessed by eGFR measurement. Of the 50% of patients who were followed up with a renography, none developed obstruction due to the renal trauma. Conclusion: The vast majority of renal injuries were due to blunt trauma. Hemodynamically stable patients, even with penetrating and/or high-grade blunt trauma, were managed non-operatively and there was a low rate of complications.