Indications for intravenous pyelography in trauma

The cornerstone for radiographic evaluation of genitourinary trauma is intravenous pyelography (IVP). Despite its widespread use, however, the indications for emergency IVP in trauma remain controversial. Some authors recommend the use of an IVP for all patients with hematuria, while others are selective, basing their decision on the degree of hematuria or such other factors as the mechanism of injury, physical examination, or the presence of associated injuries. Based on the data reviewed for blunt and penetrating trauma, we recommend that an IVP be performed in: all patients with gross hematuria; all patients who present with pain or tenderness that could be referrable to the genitourinary tract, even in the absence of hematuria; all patients with flank hematoma or ecchymosis; and all patients with penetrating trauma that could reasonably be expected to injure the genitourinary tract. Recently computed tomography (CT) has been proposed for the evaluation of renal trauma. The CT proponents cite superior definition of the extent of renal injury and superior detection of injuries not clinically suspected. Some have proposed the following algorithm, incorporating computed tomography. If an isolated renal injury is suspected clinically, an emergency IVP is performed. If the IVP is normal, expectant conservative treatment follows. If the IVP is abnormal or if the patient has persistent symptoms, an emergency CT scan is performed. Furthermore computed tomography is performed initially in the stable patient with multiple trauma and in the patient with suspected severe renal injury. While this algorithm has not been universally accepted, future studies confirming the theoretical advantages of this approach are anticipated.