Absence of renal phenotype in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia

Conservative management by embolization of a ruptured renal arterio-venous malformation (AVM) in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)

BACKGROUND

Renal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) is uncommon and only few cases have been described, mainly with surgical management because of uncontrolled hematuria.

CASE PRESENTATION

We managed a 70-year-old patient with HHT who presented with hematuria and left flank pain. Computed Tomography and ultrasound showed left renal AVM of 18 mm with clotting in the urinary tract. An external ureteral catheter was placed during 3 days to allow rinsing and facilitate elimination of clots. Given the patient's hemodynamic stability, a non-surgical management was chosen. Treatment of the AVM was performed by trans-arterial embolization using micro-coils and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our case study shows a conservative management by embolization of ruptured left renal AVM revealed by hematuria in a 70-year-old patient with HHT.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: how to efficiently detect hepatic abnormalities using ultrasonography

INTRODUCTION

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a multiorgan genetic angiodysplastic affection characterized by visceral vascular malformations. It affects mainly the brains, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and nasal mucosa. Unlike those organs, hepatic involvement, although very frequently occurring, is insufficiently recognized, mainly because of the complex vascular structure of this organ. Thus, treating HHT patients requires a solid understanding of these hepatic anomalies. It is especially important for any general clinicians to be able to recognize clinical findings in HHT, which leads to a high suspicion of HHT and have an index of suspicion for liver abnormalities of HHT. For this purpose, keen awareness of clinical as well as hepatic sonographic (US) findings is paramount.

AIM

The aim of this review is to summarize previously reported findings on the hepatic US through a thorough analysis of related articles, and to (a) determine the role of US in the diagnosis of hepatic involvement in HHT patients and (b) propose the most simple and easy way to detect HHT-related abnormalities during routine US examinations.

CONCLUSION

Hepatic US serves to diagnose the detailed complex hepatic changes typical of HHT, and contributes to increased diagnostic confidence of hepatic changes in HHT patients, with the most simple way not to overlook HHT-related abnormalities being to find hepatic artery dilatation.