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Genitourinary Trauma

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Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

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Abstract

Trauma is the largest single cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. The genitourinary (GU) tract is certainly at risk for injury in the child, and blunt trauma has been the reported etiology in upwards of 90 % of all cases of pediatric GU trauma. The relative lack of protection of the GU organs makes them more susceptible to injury.

Advancements in imaging, surgical and medical management, and ICU care have improved outcomes and decreased morbidity. We have better treatment algorithms based on large case series, and are slowly starting to standardize approached to pediatric GU trauma management. Although long term data is lacking regarding long term follow-up and acquired morbidity, efforts are being made at major trauma centers to more appropriately track outcomes.

The following chapter will serve as a summary of GU trauma in children as well as a review of literature to date regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of urinary tract injuries. We hope that the chapter will inspire individuals to more accurately standardize approaches, track outcomes, and further validate current treatment guidelines. The creation of registries and a standard regarding long term follow-up of children with these injuries will add to the literature and perhaps bring us closer to understanding of who is at risk from long term sequelae of their injuries.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Urology, Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, 3959 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Shumyle Alam MD

  2. Department of Urology, University of Cincinnati, 231 Albert Sabin Way, MI 0589, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA

    Daniel Robertshaw MD

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  1. Shumyle Alam MD
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  2. Daniel Robertshaw MD
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Correspondence to Shumyle Alam MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Derek S. Wheeler

  2. Div. of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Hector R. Wong

  3. University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Thomas P. Shanley

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Alam, S., Robertshaw, D. (2014). Genitourinary Trauma. In: Wheeler, D., Wong, H., Shanley, T. (eds) Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6359-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6359-6_18

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