Surgical approach to a large left adrenocortical mass with associated tumour thrombosis of the left renal vein: preservation of the ipsilateral kidney

Left adrenal tumor extending into the renal vein: surgical management with ipsilateral kidney preservation

If single adrenal metastasis surgery is well admitted, no recommendation exists about the management of a renal vein tumor thrombus, even though the actual consensual attitude consists in a nephrectomy associated to an adrenalectomy. We report, here, the case of a 74-year-old man with a suspected adrenal metastasis of a lung carcinoma associated with a left adrenal and renal vein tumor thrombus treated by adrenalectomy and renal vein thrombectomy and ipsilateral kidney sparing. The postoperative computed tomography scan showed no thrombus in the left renal vein. Doppler ultrasound performed 1 month after adrenalectomy proved a good left renal vein flux. At 36 months of follow-up, the patient is alive without signs of recurrence.