Conservative management of renal artery embolus

Acute renal infarction presenting with acute abdominal pain secondary to newly discovered atrial fibrillation: a case report and literature review

We report an 85-year-old female with known history of recurrent diverticulitis presented with abdominal pain. It was believed that the patient again needed to be treated for another diverticulitis and was started on the routine treatment. The initial CT scan of abdomen showed renal infarcts bilaterally that were confirmed by a CT with and without intravenous contrast secondary to unknown cause. An ECG found accidentally that the patient was in atrial fibrillation, which was the attributed factor to the renal infarctions. Subsequently, the patient was started on the appropriate anticoagulation and discharged.

Renal infarction

Renal infarction is an underdiagnosed and under-reported phenomenon, and needs to be diagnosed rapidly to prevent permanent loss of renal function. Renal infarction should be considered in the initial differential diagnosis of nephrolithiasis and pyelonephritis. It is often mistaken for more benign pathology and is worthwhile reviewing and reporting.

[Renal colic "ischemic" of renal infarction: A plea for routine helical CT in emergency]

OBJECTIVES

Through a retrospective cohort, to analyse causative factors of acute renal infarction and specific therapeutic. Recall the need to carry a computerised tomoraphy (CT) in any flank pain suggestive of renal colic can hide a renal infarct.

METHOD

Over a period of 24 months (2008-2009), we have compiled six patients admitted for acute lumbar pain reported in renal colic and showing a renal infarction. We report the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the clinical presentation, and the interest of heparin therapy started early in the recovery of renal function. We emphasise the need for abdominal-pelvic CT in emergency before a renal colic pain associated with injection of contrast medium if no stone obstacle is identified.

RESULTS

Five patients had risk factors for cardiovascular disease including one personal history of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and two, a family history of myocardial infarction. Five patients were treated early with LMWH, and for one the herapin was started at 72 hours of onset of symptoms. In all cases, no effect on renal function was noted.

CONCLUSION

Renal infarction is a rare but probably underestimated, occurring on land known cardiovascular often. The abdominopelvic CT without injection is increasingly practiced in front of abdominal pain syndromes, it seems imperative to complete the review by the injection of contrast material if stone obstruction is unconfirmed. Early management by herapin appears to improve the complete recovery of renal function.

Sentinel central retinal artery occlusion: a forme fruste of idiopathic renal infarction

Central retinal artery occlusion is one of the most challenging practices and is not an infrequent presentation at the emergency department. We describe a 46-year-old man presenting with abrupt onset of amaurosis fugax secondary to sentinel central retinal artery occlusion followed by acute idiopathic renal infarction. This patient highlights that the preceding visual events could portend a devastating thromboembolic insult in the clinical setting. Early recognition with prompt treatment may preserve organ function, avoid unnecessary management, and prevent debilitating complication.

Renal artery embolism: a case report and review

Renal artery embolism was first described in 1940, but it is only recently becoming recognized as a clinically significant entity. Although relatively uncommon, it is clearly responsible for considerable morbidity in patients who experience it. The pathogenesis is typically related to cardiac thrombus formation with subsequent embolization, although other etiologies have been described. The authors present a case report followed by a review of the literature to highlight the clinical characteristics of this phenomena. Presentation, diagnostics, and treatment options will be reviewed with the aim of increasing awareness of renal artery embolism. As clinicians become more familiar with this condition, they will be more likely to consider it as a possible diagnosis in patients with a typical presentation. This will hopefully lead to improved care through prompt diagnosis and treatment, particularly as one treatment option may be time sensitive.

Acute renal artery embolism: a case report and brief literature review

Acute renal artery embolism is an uncommon clinical diagnosis. We present a case report of a patient who was treated with transcatheter thrombolysis and a literature review and discussion of this condition and its management.

Successful thrombolytic therapy for bilateral renal infarction: a case report

Acute renal infarction is a rarely reported disease in the medical literature. Angiography, renal scintigraphy, intravenous pyelography, sonography, and enhanced computed tomography may be useful in diagnosing acute renal infarction antemortem. Therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of renal infarction have not been established. We report a case of bilateral renal infarction in an elderly woman with atrial fibrillation, which was successfully treated by thrombolytic therapy.

Renal infarction without hematuria: two case reports

Clinical cases of renal infarction are rarely seen and often either misdiagnosed or initially treated as something else. In most circumstances, renal infarctions are discovered accidentally, not due to a consideration of the diagnosis. A review of the literature reveals that we ought to search for the entity in patients with risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, infarction history or potential, mitral stenosis, infective endocarditis, atrial or ventricular septal defect, hypertension and ischemic heart diseases. In addition, the rise of LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) in serum and the presence of hematuria serves as a good indicator of the malady. We present two cases we encountered early this year in our Emergency Department. In both cases, white blood cell count and LDH showed significant increases, but there was no hematuria present. Both were successfully treated with LMWH (low-molecular-weight heparin). Upon discharge, both patients regained normal renal function.

Clinical characteristics of patients with segmental renal infarction

BACKGROUND

Renal infarction is usually an underestimated disease due to its rare and non-specific presentations; the renal survival of these patients is not well studied. The aim of the present analysis is to study the clinical features and outcome in patients who had documented renal infarction.

METHODS

Twenty-two patients (12 men and 10 women, mean age of 57.7 +/- 3.44 years (28.4-83.3 years)) with image-confirmed segmental renal infarction in the past 15 years were enrolled. All patients were followed up at outpatient department with a median of 4 years (1-14 years). Initial and follow-up clinical characteristics and laboratory results were recorded.

RESULTS

The most common underlying disease was cardiovascular disease. Renal infarction often presented with non-specific symptoms, including flank pain (55%), vague abdominal pain (50%), nausea/vomiting (46%) and fever (27%). The levels of leucocytes, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were all elevated at admission. The early diagnosis group (12/22) had more obvious flank pain, nausea/vomiting (P < 0.001) and higher alanine transaminase (P = 0.02). It also predisposed to undergo antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy (all P < 0.04). During follow up, there was no recurrence in the whole study group, and a trend of better recovery of renal function was noted in the early diagnosis group.

CONCLUSION

The serum creatinine level correlates with longer hospitalization length (P < 0.05). As regards long-term prognosis, no definite factor or treatment was found to have significant effect in segmental renal infarction patients. However, early diagnosis and early initiation of treatment seems to have a positive effect on future renal outcome.

[Acute renal ischemia--unusual cause of lumbar pain]

Acute renal artery occlusion is rarely found in daily clinical practice. Its rarity and inespecific clinical presentation are responsible for late diagnosis or diagnostic errors, with symptoms frequently being erroneously attributed to other more common entities. There is no consensus in what concerns therapeutic options. Multiple treatment modalities are described in the available literature. Some defend anticoagulant therapy and support measures only while others recommend other more invasive alternatives reaching even open surgery. The authors present two additional case reports of acute embolic renal ischemia. A thorough literature review is also presented comprehending etiological, clinic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

Successful management of acute renal artery thromboembolism by intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator

Acute renal artery thromboembolism (ARAT), a rare event in native kidneys, potentially result in severe renal injury if it is not appropriately managed. The optimal therapy still remains controversial today even though various methods of managements for ARTA were applied in these decades including surgical intervention and medical approach such as thrombolytic therapy. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) reveals a better bioavailability and lower incidence of adverse effects and it has been widely used to treat a number of clinical conditions but only very few cases have been reported where rt-PA was used to treat ARAT. We described a case of ARAT, which was successfully treated by the administration of rt-PA via intra-arterial infusion within a period of 60 min without residual renal impairment. It may be a useful choice for ARAT and renal infarction sufferers.

Acute renal infarction as a cause of low-back pain

Detection of acute renal infarction is often delayed or missed because of both the rarity of the disease and its nonspecific clinical presentation. Abrupt onset of low-back pain in a patient at high risk for a thromboembolic event may be the first indication of renal infarction. We report a case of acute renal infarction and review its diagnosis and management.

Acute renal artery thrombosis treated by percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy

Renal artery thrombosis or embolus is a rare condition that may lead to hypertension and renal failure. Treatment options in the past have had limited success. We present a case which demonstrates the use of percutaneous rheolytic therapy with the Angiojet atherectomy catheter to treat this condition in the acute setting.

Acute renal infarction secondary to left ventricular thrombus, masquerading as a renal calculus--a case report and brief review of literature

Acute embolic renal infarction is an entity that is often misdiagnosed as a renal calculus because of similar presenting symptoms. This leads to delay in the initiation of treatment and to increased morbidity. Few case reports exist relating cardiac emboli to acute renal infarction. The authors present a patient with a renal embolism secondary to left ventricular thrombus. A brief review of the literature highlighting the importance of clinical suspicion in making an accurate diagnosis, the utility of various diagnostic studies, and comparison of various treatment options is presented.

Acute renal infarction. Clinical characteristics of 17 patients

We analyzed the medical records of patients with an established diagnosis of acute renal infarction to identify predictive parameters of this rare disease. Seventeen patients (8 male) who were admitted to our emergency department between May 1994 and January 1998 were diagnosed by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) as having acute renal infarction (0.007% of all patients). We screened the records of the 17 patients for a history with increased risk for thromboembolism, clinical symptoms, and urine and blood laboratory results known to be associated with acute renal infarction. A history with increased risk for thromboembolism with 1 or more risk factors was found in 14 of 17 patients (82%); risk factors were atrial fibrillation (n = 11), previous embolism (n = 6), mitral stenosis (n = 6), hypertension (n = 9), and ischemic cardiac disease (n = 7). All patients reported persisting pain predominantly from the flank (n = 11), abdomen (n = 4), and lower back (n = 2). On admission, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase was found in 16 (94%) patients, and hematuria was found in 12 (71%) of 17 patients. After 24 hours all patients showed an elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase, and 14 (82%) had a positive test for hematuria. Our findings suggest that in all patients presenting with the triad--high risk of a thromboembolic event, persisting flank/abdominal/lower back pain, elevated serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase and/or hematuria within 24 hours after pain onset--contrast-enhanced CT should be performed as soon as possible to rule out or to prove acute renal infarction.

Idiopathic renal infarction

We describe the course of acute renal infarction, without a demonstrable cause, in an otherwise healthy young male. Renal function was not compromised, and the infarct failed to progress. Literature on relevant diagnostic and therapeutic modalities is reviewed.

Acute renal vascular occlusion: an uncommon mimic

Two adult patients with acute renal vascular occlusion with infarction are described. Both patients were believed to have ureteral colic. In each instance, the correct diagnosis was overlooked at the initial emergency department visit. An uncommon clinical entity that continues to go undiagnosed, acute vascular occlusion of the kidney must be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute flank pain. Absence of the nephrogram phase on an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) should alert emergency physicians to this possible diagnosis and to the need for further work-up. Subsequent diagnostic evaluation should begin with renal ultrasonography to rule out obstructive uropathy. If hydroureteronephrosis is not present, follow-up perfusion studies are necessary to confirm the absence of renal perfusion. Greater awareness of this uncommon clinical entity and its potential morbidity is essential to correct diagnosis and management.

Renal artery embolism: clinical features and therapeutic options

Renal artery embolism is an infrequent but important cause of renal loss. However, due to its rarity and nonspecific presentation diagnosis is often delayed and occasionally missed. Furthermore, proper therapeutic intervention is not well established and aggressive surgical management is often ill-advised. We review the literature and present 3 cases seen recently at our institution. Selective intra-arterial infusion of thrombolytic agents appears to be the most favorable treatment. The duration of occlusion does not necessarily correlate with the return of renal function, and the degree of collateral renal blood flow can be important.

Recovery of function in a solitary kidney after intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy

Renal artery thromboembolism is a rare event that most often occurs in patients with cardiac dysrhythmias. Surgical thromboembolectomy is risky and medical therapy with intra-arterial thrombolytic agents has become increasingly popular. Although successful clot dissolution has been well documented, renal function often is not recovered. We describe a patient with anuria from thromboembolism to a solitary kidney, treated with low dose intra-arterial streptokinase infusion. There were no adverse effects from therapy and renal function returned to a point where dialysis was no longer required. A review of the literature is included with special attention to various protocols for infusion. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy may result in clinically significant recovery of renal function.

Renal artery emboli: the role of surgical treatment

Twelve cases of emboli to the renal artery (one of which was recurrent) were reviewed. In seven patients, emboli were unilateral and the opposite kidney was functional. In five patients, emboli were bilateral or occurred in a solitary kidney, leading to anuria. Cardiac rhythm disorders were encountered in eight patients and were responsible for emboli in other areas in three. Arteriography in ten patients demonstrated seven complete truncal occlusions (one bilateral), two incomplete truncal occlusions, and one distal embolus. One patient with a distal embolus was treated by heparin alone with satisfactory results. One patient in poor general condition was treated with intraarterial streptokinase, resulting in incomplete lysis of the clot. The five patients with anuria were operated on: four regained satisfactory renal function whereas the other patient died. In five patients without anuria who were operated upon, renal function returned to normal in four, and one patient required nephrectomy. Surgical treatment is imperative with anuria and is indicated in unilateral emboli with a functional contralateral kidney, especially when there is complete occlusion of the renal trunk. If the embolus is recent, intraarterial fibrinolytic treatment or percutaneous embolectomy can be attempted, but these techniques are not of proven efficacy. Patients with distal emboli or contraindications to operation should be treated by anticoagulant therapy, alone or with local fibrinolytic treatment.

Segmental renal artery infarction: a case report with computerized tomography scan and angiographic correlation

Segmental renal artery infarction results in a clinical syndrome that generally involves transient hematuria, leukocytosis, fever and flank or abdominal pain, and generally occurs in patients with a history of atherosclerotic, cardiac or thromboembolic diseases. We present a case that demonstrates the characteristic appearance of this lesion on a computerized tomography scan. Angiographic correlation is provided.

Long-term follow-up of neonatal renovascular hypertension

Twelve neonates with hypertension have been followed for a mean of 5.75 years. At onset of hypertension, mean peak blood pressure was 159/99 mm Hg. Ten infants had umbilical artery catheters, 9 placed above the origin of the renal arteries. Radionuclide renal scan and/or angiography demonstrated renovascular disease, primarily renal artery thrombosis, in 11 infants. One-third of infants were asymptomatic, one-third had normal urinalyses and two-thirds had elevated peripheral plasma renin activities. Blood pressure normalized with medical therapy in all infants and remained normal when therapy was discontinued. Ten infants have normal creatinine clearances on follow-up but 5/11 have unilateral renal atrophy. Radionuclide scans have remained abnormal, even in infants without renal atrophy. In summary, neonatal renovascular hypertension is frequently secondary to renal artery thrombosis, associated with umbilical artery catheterization. Blood pressure usually normalizes with conservative medical management and remains normal off medications. Persistent abnormalities in renal size and function are common.

Renal artery obstruction

A 57-year-old woman with an extensive cardiac history presented complaining of left flank pain. An intravenous pyelogram performed for the presumptive diagnosis of renal calculus showed poor function of the left kidney. Angiography demonstrated a 95% obstructing embolus in the left renal artery, which was removed surgically. This case illustrates some of the pitfalls in the diagnosis of renal artery obstruction and the need for a high index of suspicion. The intrarenal infusion of thrombolytic agents such as streptokinase may become the treatment of choice despite the success of surgical embolectomy. The diagnosis, laboratory analysis, and treatment of renal artery obstruction is discussed.

Renal infarction

A 43-year-old woman complaining of left flank pain was found to have renal infarction. New-onset atrial fibrillation suggested thromboembolism, which was confirmed by retrograde urogram and intravenous pyelogram. The patient was treated with heparin and was discharged on coumadin after evaluation of her cardiac disease.

The use of streptokinase to treat renal artery thromboembolism

The effects of streptokinase are difficult to determine. Furthermore, it has toxic side effects, and renal function may not recover from its use. However, because of favorable experiences with this drug in the early treatment of venous thromboembolism and following myocardial infarction, as well as the favorable findings with early perfusion in the dog model, the use of local streptokinase may be justified if the infusion is begun early, preferably within four to six hours.

Combined thrombolysis with low-dose streptokinase and angioplasty in the treatment of renal artery occlusion

A case of acute renal artery thrombosis superimposed on a stenotic atheromatous lesion treated with low-dose streptokinase thrombolysis and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is presented. Renal function was promptly improved. This combined approach is recommended in selected elderly and seriously ill patients.

Survival after bilateral renal artery occlusion

Images

Revascularization of totally occluded renal arteries

Two cases of total renal artery occlusion are presented. The clinical durations of occlusion were 10 days and 6 months. Revascularization procedures were successful in both patients, resulting in return of renal function and alleviation of hypertension. Our 2 cases and a review of 30 other cases demonstrate that the maximum duration of main renal artery occlusion with subsequent return of renal function is unknown.

Intra-arterial streptokinase and renal artery embolization

An animal experiment was constructed to simulate the clinical entity of renal artery embolization. Because of the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with the current methods of treatment, percutaneous infusion of the renal artery with streptokinase was evaluated as a new method of therapy. Results were analyzed by the following criteria: (1) arteriography, (2) gross pathology, and (3) differential renal function studies. In 12 dogs whose left kidney was embolized without treatment, renal function was 38 per cent of the contralateral normal kidney twenty-one days later. Seven dogs were embolized but treated immediately with intra-arterial streptokinase for six hours; renal function was increased to 58 per cent of the contralateral normal kidney. Various fibrinolytic agents and their possible clinical application in embolism are discussed.

Embolism in a single functioning kidney: report of two cases

2 cases of embolism in single functioning kidneys are reported. In the first case there was an occlusion of the main trunk of the renal artery; the patient was treated by embolectomy. In the second case the occlusion of a major arterial branch was demonstrated; because of the bad general conditions the patient was treated with medical therapy. The authors review the literature and the indications for embolectomy in embolism in a solitary kidney.