Renal trauma.

The pertinent literature on renal trauma for the last 25 years has been analyzed. An evolutionary pattern is seen in the development of diagnostic methods, while surgical and medical management of renal trauma has become much more precise for specific lesions. Various subareas of interest within the field have emerged, such as pediatric trauma, associated injuries and the subdivisions of blunt and penetrating trauma. Furthermore, therapy has been extended to include those severe vascular lesions that previously were considered untreatable. Various new and experimental concepts are described. Specific recommendations regarding the diagnosis and the therapeutic management are offered in an attempt to bring perspective to these new developments.