Management of children with kidney injuries of various severity: a series of clinical observations

BACKGROUND: Kidney injury takes approximately 1–5% of all urinary tract and abdominal cavity injuries. Children blunt trauma amounts more than 90% of all kidney damages. Kidney injury is always followed by pain in the lumbar region and abdomen as well as by hematoma and hematuria. Serious renal injuries in children are more often accompanied by stable vital functions and normal general urine analyses compared to adults. Such patients require dynamic observation and instrumental examination so as to determine further curative strategy.

CLINICAL CASE DESCRIPTION: This article describes three clinical cases of kidney injury in children. In the first case, ultrasound examination and computed tomography revealed contusion changes in the kidney, subcapsular hematoma and renal parenchyma rupture without damage of the collecting system. Due to clinical findings, ultrasound and computed tomography examination, conservative management was prescribed to one patient, while for the other two with renal parenchyma rupture — surgery. One of these patients had malformation — a gap between the upper and lower segments of the double kidney. Such malformation could aggravate the injury.

CONCLUSION: The present series of clinical observations is an example of managing children with kidney injuries of varying severity. Depending on the damage severity, conservative management or surgical tactics are chosen by specialists.