Isolated severe renal injuries after minimal blunt trauma to the upper abdomen and flank: CT findings

Renal injuries caused by blunt abdominal trauma are common in children. Serious renal trauma is associated with insult to other organs, whereas isolated renal injuries are usually minor. We present the cases of six male children (aged 7–17 years) with major isolated renal injuries due to minimal blunt trauma to the upper adbomen and/or the flank, out of a total of 21 children admitted with renal trauma in a 5-years period. On physical examination all patients had a painful, tender abdomen and/or flank with ipsilateral bruises and ecchymosis. Hematuria, either macro (n=4) or micro (n=2), was found in all. The injuries were left-sided in five and were of a variable severity (grade III: n=2; grade IV: n=3; grade V: n=1 according to the kidney injury scale of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma). Four children underwent nephrectomy. This small series underlines that major kidney insult can occur after a minimal blunt trauma localized to the flank or upper abdomen. Abdominal CT should be performed when clinical or laboratory findings or the mechanism of trauma suggest renal injury.