Segmental renal hypoplasia of vascular origin causing renal hypertension in a 3-year-old girl

[Segmental renal hypoplasia or Ask-Upmark kidney -- anatomopathologic approach: report of 2 cases]

Segmental renal hypoplasia or Ask-Upmark kidney is an extremely rare anomaly that induces severe arterial hypertension in young patients. Two new cases of this entity are presented respectively in a 39 and 31 years old women who are admitted for hematuria, elevated blood pressure level and flank pain. Surgical treatment of the hypoplasia kidney permitted successful treatment of the high blood pressure with preservation of renal function and flank pain. In view of the literature, the authors discuss the pathogenic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this condition.

Renin-producing renal cell carcinomas--clinical and experimental investigations on a special form of renal hypertension

The pathogenetic relationship between tumour and hypertension was investigated in 129 patients with renal cell carcinoma, of whom 41 (31.8%) were hypertensive. Of these 41 patients with renal tumours and hypertension, 6 (14.6%) were found to have primary reninism. In these patients the plasma renin activity in blood from the renal veins showed a tumour kidney to contralateral kidney ratio of between 4 and 7, and 2 patients also had secondary hyperaldosteronism. In the same 6 cases the renin content in the renal tumour tissue was significantly higher than that in tissue from the adjacent tumour-free renal cortex of the ipsilateral kidney. Immunohistochemical demonstration of renin in the tumour was only possible in these 6 cases. In 5 of these patients blood pressure returned to normal following nephrectomy; in the 6th case there was a drop in blood pressure after nephrectomy. In 3 renin-positive tumours examined, autonomous renin production was demonstrated in cell culture. Renin-producing renal cell carcinomas are an uncommon cause of renal hypertension. The differential diagnosis of hypertension should therefore also include renal tumour.