The Consensus on Genitourinary Trauma continues this month with an evidence‐based analysis, by a team of experts under the chairmanship of Dr Jack McAninch, of current reports on the diagnosis and management of ureteric trauma. This is quite a unique document, and of interest to all urologists; not only as a consensus on how this condition should be managed, but also as a model of how to review current publications.
Most urologists in the United States have little experience with urethroplasty surgery. Most urologists erroneously believe that the literature supports a reconstructive surgical ladder for urethral stricture management. Unfamiliarity with the literature and inexperience with urethroplasty surgery have made the use of endoscopic methods inappropriately common.
Injury secondary to trauma has become increasingly common in modern society. In the United States, in excess of 55 million trauma patients are evaluated each year, and trauma is the leading cause of mortality in people under the age of 40 years. Of the patients with abdominal trauma, approximately 10% have an injury to the urinary tract. Renal injury, occurring in 1-5% of all traumas, is due primarily to blunt trauma. Advances in the imaging and staging of renal trauma as well as in treatment strategies have decreased the need for surgical intervention and increased renal preservation. Nevertheless, no consensus exists regarding indications and techniques for renal exploration. The goals of treatment include accurate staging, maximal preservation of renal function, and minimal complications. We discuss our current approach in the management of renal trauma.
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