1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Aim and objectives
The European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines Panel for Urological Trauma have prepared these guidelines in order to assist medical professionals in the management of urological trauma in adults. Paediatric trauma is addressed in the EAU Paediatric Urology Guidelines [1].
It must be emphasised that clinical guidelines present the best evidence available to the experts but following guideline recommendations will not necessarily result in the best outcome. Guidelines can never replace clinical expertise when making treatment decisions for individual patients, but rather help to focus decisions – also taking personal values and preferences/individual circumstances of patients into account. Guidelines are not mandates and do not purport to be a legal standard of care.
1.2. Panel composition
The EAU Urological Trauma Guidelines Panel consists of an international group of urologists and an interventional radiologist, all with particular expertise in urological trauma. All experts involved in the production of this document have submitted potential conflict of interest statements, which can be viewed on the EAU Website Uroweb: http://uroweb.org/guideline/urological-trauma/?type=panel.
1.3. Available publications
A quick reference document, the Pocket Guidelines, is available in print and on the EAU Website. This is an abridged version which may require consultation together with the full text version. A number of translated versions, alongside several scientific publications in European Urology, the Associations scientific journal, are also available [2-5]. All documents can be viewed through the EAU website: http://uroweb.org/guideline/urological-trauma/.
1.4. Publication history
The Urological Trauma Guidelines were first published in 2003. Standard procedure for EAU Guidelines includes an annual assessment of newly published literature in the field to guide future updates. All sections of the 2023 Urological Trauma Guidelines have been fully updated.