Clinical, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Aspects of Kidney Trauma at the Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital in Lome

Abstract

Introduction : Kidney injuries represent 5 to 10 % of all abdominal injuries. The aim of our study was to estimate the incidence, describe diagnostic methods, and their management. Methods : This was a retrospective and descriptive study from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2021. It focused on the files of patients admitted and treated in the urology and surgical emergency departments of the teaching hospital Sylvanus Olympio in Lomé, for kidney trauma. Results : We collected 15 cases in 10 years. The average age of patients was 31.87 ± 9.77 years. The trauma patients were divided into 9 men and 6 women. The most common etiology was road traffic accident. Blunt trauma was the most frequent and the right side was the most affected. The clinical symptoms were dominated by hematuria and low back pain. Urinary CT-scan was the reference examination, performed in all patients and minor grade injuries were more frequent, in 11 patients. It was associated with splenic contusion in 4 patients. All minor injuries received medical treatment. Two grade IV cases underwent nephrorrhaphy. Total nephrectomy was performed in 2 grade V cases. Mortality was zero. Conclusion : Kidney injuries are rare in our setting. They most often occur in young people. Although their management is most often non-operative, open surgery is still performed in some cases in our setting, in the absence of minimally invasive techniques.