Traumatic Rupture of Left Renal Artery Without Injury to Kidney

The finding of a ruptured left renal artery following trauma and without grossly demonstrable kidney damage or hematuria is rare. This is particularly true in the absence of predisposing changes in either the kidney or the vessels, or where no abnormal mobility of the kidney could be demonstrated. In a review of the literature, relatively few cases of rupture of renal vessels are reported and very few cases of traumatic rupture in a vessel otherwise apparently normal. Lincoln1reports fifteen cases prior to 1918 of spontaneous rupture of renal vessels (arteries), fourteen collected from the literature and one his own case. Two of the patients were children, one was a young adult, and the remainder were elderly people in whom could be demonstrated predisposing pathologic changes in the vessels, for the most part of arteriosclerotic and syphilitic nature. Hematuria was present in four cases and was profuse in three.