Clinical studies on renal trauma

: A total of 18 kidneys in 17 patients with renal trauma were treated at the Department of Urology, Mitoyo General Hospital between April 1991 and August 1997. Patients were between 10 and 88 years old (median; 52). Eleven of them were male and 6 were female. The main cause of injury was a traffic accident in 11 cases (64.7%), which was similar in tendency to previous reports in this country. According to the Classification of Renal Injury by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma in Japan, there were 8 cases (47.1%) of Type I (sub-capsular injury) and Type II (superficial injury) that was classified a minor injury, and there were 9 cases (52.9%) of Type III (deep injury), Type IV (pedicle injury) and open injury that was classified as a major injury. Surgical treatment was performed in 8 cases (47.1%), which were all classified as a major injury. Posttraumatic plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was elevated immediately in case of major injury in comparison with a case of minor injury. Serum LDH may be useful as a parameter of the degree of renal trauma.