Renal artery pseudoaneurysm after blunt abdominal trauma

• Published in: Journal of vascular surgery 1998-02, Vol.27 (2), p.362-365
• Main Authors: Jebara, Victor A., El Rassi, Issam, Achouh, Paul E., Chelala, Dania, Tabet, Georges, Karam, Boutros
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal Injuries - complications; Adolescent; Adult; Aneurysm, False - diagnosis; Aneurysm, False - etiology; Aneurysm, False - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Injuries of the abdomen. Foreign bodies of the digestive system; Medical sciences; Renal Artery - injuries; Time Factors; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Tropical medicine; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - complications
• ISSN: 0741-5214; 1097-6809
• DOI: 10.1016/S0741-5214(98)70368-4

Renal artery pseudoaneurysms are rare after blunt abdominal trauma; only 11 cases have been previously reported. Pseudoaneurysms are caused by decelerating injuries of the renal artery after major falls or automobile accidents. Patients may be asymptomatic for many years, and the pseudoaneurysm may expand and rupture before diagnosis or treatment. The patients in four untreated cases died. The diagnosis of renal artery pseudoaneurysm can be made by Doppler sonography, computerized tomography, renal perfusion imaging, or contrast angiography. Treatment requires either surgical or percutaneous intervention. Renal salvage was possible in five of the seven patients treated. We report two additional patients with successful outcomes after surgical intervention. (J Vasc Surg 1998;27:362-5.)