Aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of patients with renal trauma. A survey on patients in the Tampere area during two decades.

A material of 185 renal traumas treated during 1972-1991 was analyzed. A typical patient was a young man; the mean age was 30 years. The most common aetiology was traffic accident (45%). Penetrating traumas were rare (2%). The most common and significant finding was macroscopic haematuria, but the absence of haematuria did not exclude renal trauma. Unexpected findings were seen in 7% of cases. The most common renal injuries were contusion (69%) and laceration (20%) which were mostly treated conservatively (85%) with good results. Only 15% of patients were operated. Renal complications were few both in the conservatively and in the surgically treated patients. No mortality was seen.