Functional outcome of nonoperatively managed renal injuries in children.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to define better the functional outcome of nonoperatively managed renal injuries in children.


METHODS
All children who had blunt renal trauma managed nonoperatively were reviewed for injury grade, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, blood pressure, and percentage of function according to technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scan after complete healing.


RESULTS
Over a 2-year period, 17 children (mean age, 10.4 years) were managed conservatively for their renal injuries. There were two grade 2, two grade 3, nine grade 4, and four grade 5 injuries. Complete healing was documented in all cases within 3 months after injury. Renal scarring and volume loss were evident for all healed high-grade injuries (grades 4 to 5) at follow-up imaging. Technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scanning demonstrated a decline in percentage of total renal function corresponding to injury severity (44.7 +/- 8.4% function for grades 2 and 3, 41.8 +/- 9.2% for grade 4 vs 29.5 +/- 7.9% for grade 5). Only two children (22%), however, with grade 4 injury had severe compromise of function (<30%). At the follow-up visit, all the children were asymptomatic and normotensive. None had abnormal BUN or creatinine (mean BUN, 10.5 +/- 5.1 mg/dL; mean creatinine, 0.6 +/- 0.2 mg/dL).


CONCLUSIONS
The functional outcome for children with nonoperatively managed kidney injuries is good and correlates with injury grade. Children with grades 2 to 4 injuries managed conservatively retain near normal function. Those with grade 5 injuries have a loss of function attributable to scarring and parenchymal volume loss. Long-term follow-up evaluation of these children may be warranted.
Department of Surgery, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, USA.
Martin S
MS
Keller
C
C
Eric Coln
Jennifer J
JJ
Garza
Kennith H
KH
Sartorelli
M
M
Christine Green
Thomas R
TR
Weber
D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007668:Kidney / Q000293:injuries*; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D011859:Radiography; D019783:Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014707:Vermont / Q000453:epidemiology; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
D019783:Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid; D003404:Creatinine