Endovascular management of arterial injuries after blunt or iatrogenic renal trauma

Abstract

The kidney is the third most common abdominal organ to be injured in trauma, following the spleen and liver, respectively. The most commonly used classification scheme is the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) classification of blunt renal injuries, which grades renal injury according to the size of laceration and its proximity to the renal hilum. Arteriovenous fistula and pseudoaneurysm are the most common iatrogenic biopsy-related or surgery-related vascular injuries in native kidneys. The approach to renal artery injuries has changed over time from more aggressive intervention to more conservative observational or endovascular management, including selective transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and the placement of stents/stent grafts. In this article, we describe the role and technical aspects of endovascular interventions in the management of arterial injuries after blunt or iatrogenic renal trauma.