Surgical exploration of the injured kidney: current indications and techniques

when treating renal injuries, the goals of the urologic surgeon are preservation of maximal renal function with a minimal risk of complications. to meet these, accurate staging is essential. the combined use of clinical and radiologic findings, with intra-operative information where available, will enhance the practitioner’s ability to detect, classify, and treat renal injuries appropriately. we discuss our current approach to renal trauma and current indications and techniques for surgical exploration of the injured kidney.