Renal trauma imaging: Diagnosis and management. A pictorial review

Background: The purpose of this review is to illustrate and discuss the spectrum of imaging findings, particularly computed tomography (CT), of blunt and penetrating renal trauma, based on our own materials, according to the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) renal injury grading scale. The article also indicates the conditions in which interventional radiology procedures can be applied for the management of renal trauma. Material/Method: Cases for this pictorial review were selected from the imaging material collected at the Radiology Department of Hamad Medical Corporation during a 14-year period from 1999 to 2012. The material includes 176 cases (164 males and 12 females) with confirmed blunt or penetrating renal trauma. Following abdominal trauma, all patients had a CT examination performed on admission to the hospital and/or during hospitalization. The most representative and illustrative cases of renal trauma were reviewed according to CT findings and were categorized according to the AAST grading system. Discusion: The review describes a spectrum of imaging presentations with special emphasis on the 5 grades of renal injury on a CT according to the AAST scale. The most representative cases were illustrated and discussed with indications of possibl