Spontaneous recovery from renal infarction resulting from renal artery dissection

A 31-year-old, previously normotensive healthy man developed right flank pain and was admitted to a medical service. Right renal infarction was suspected by enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) and arteriography. Fourteen days after the onset, he was transferred to the Oita University Hospital, Oita, Japan. Renal angiography revealed an isolated renal artery dissection causing renal atrophy due to main stem narrowing of the right renal artery. Renogram and renal scintigram with (99m)Tc-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid revealed a remarkable decline in the glomerular filtration rate and almost no uptake in the right kidney. Four months later, in spite of our belief that functional recovery could not be expected, intravenous pyelography and enhanced abdominal CT scans revealed a functioning right kidney that had spontaneously recovered from the renal artery dissection through conservative management.