Urology Consult: Association with Renal Trauma Imaging and Intervention

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Urology
• Nephrology

Background:

• Renal trauma management can involve trauma surgeons, urologic surgeons, or collaborative approaches.
• Differences in management strategies between specialties are not well-documented.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of urology consultations after renal trauma.
• To evaluate the effect of urology consultation on subsequent imaging and interventions.
• To compare management approaches between trauma surgery and urology.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 118 patients with renal trauma at a Level I trauma center (2014-2021).
• Data extraction included demographics, injury characteristics, imaging, and interventions.
• Statistical analyses (chi-squared, Fischer's exact, Mann-Whitney U) were used to compare groups.

Main Results:

• Urology was consulted in 15.3% of renal trauma cases.
• Patients with urology consultation were more likely to receive delayed contrast imaging (50.0% vs 17.0%).
• Among high-grade injuries, urology consultation was associated with a lower nephrectomy rate (36.4% vs 78.8%).

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in imaging patterns for renal trauma patients managed by trauma surgery versus urology.
• Urology consultation in high-grade renal trauma cases is linked to reduced nephrectomy rates.
• Multidisciplinary trauma settings can facilitate successful renal salvage.