Purpose: To analyse the types, mechanisms and severity of kidney trauma in injured car drivers and the effects of the presence or absence of the safety belt on the renal lesions observed.
Material and methods: 64,325 road accident victims were reported between 1996 and 2002. Data collection was performed in 96 primary care departments, 160 inpatient departments and 11 convalescence centres. Among the 33,431 injured car drivers, 54 presented kidney trauma (0.16%). The AAST classification was used to analyse these cases of
Results: The 54 cases of kidney trauma was classified as grade I and II in 39 cases, grade III in 6 cases, grade IV in 5 case, and grade V in 4 cases. Nine patients died with a kidney lesion. This lesion was never isolated, as it was associated with rupture of the spleen in 8 cases, head injury in 6 cases and chest injury in 4 cases. The mechanism of these fatal accidents was a head-on collision in every case.
Conclusion: Kidney trauma in the car drivers of our series was rare (0.160%) and benign (72% of grade I and II lesions). Patients with a kidney lesion who died always presented multiple injuries. Renal pedicle lesions are usually observed in car drivers not wearing a