Occlusion of the Renal Artery Secondary to Acute or Remote Trauma

Five patients with traumatic occlusion of the renal artery were seen during a three-year period. The injury was recent in four and remote in one. A traumatized kidney not visualized on the excretory urogram but showing no distortion of the collecting system on the retrograde pyelogram should be studied by renal arteriography. If the obstruction is incomplete, repair of the renal artery with restoration of normal blood flow might be possible. A severely ischemic kidney must be removed to prevent the development of infection and hypertension. The arteriogram should be examined for evidence of associated injury to the patient such as splenic or hepatic laceration.