Spontaneous renal artery thrombosis: A rare cause of acute flank pain

Hee Joong Lim; Jung Han Hwang; Jeong Ho Kim; Suyoung Park; Ki Hyun Lee; So Hyun Park

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2020.10.027

Spontaneous renal artery thrombosis: A rare cause of acute flank pain

Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Oct 28;16(1):9-12. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.10.027. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Authors

Hee Joong Lim¹, Jung Han Hwang¹, Jeong Ho Kim¹, Suyoung Park¹, Ki Hyun Lee¹, So Hyun Park¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Radiology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Spontaneous renal artery thrombosis is a rare cause of flank pain and can have fatal consequences. We report a case of acute renal artery thrombosis in a 61-year-old man who experienced flank pain and had no medical history. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed total thrombotic occlusion of the left renal artery. The patient was taken to interventional radiology, and an urgent catheter-directed thrombolysis of the renal artery was performed. The procedure was successful, with the subsequent arteriogram demonstrating a substantial decrease of the thrombus extent and the recanalization of the left renal artery. This case highlights that emergency renal artery thrombolysis is an effective and safe treatment for acute occlusion of the renal artery.

Keywords: Renal artery obstruction; Renal colic; Thrombolytic therapy.

Publication types

Case Reports