RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Renal infarction mimicking renal colic in patient with a prosthetic aortic valve
JF Emergency Medicine Journal
JO Emerg Med J
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 595
OP 596
DO 10.1136/emj.2003.011692
VO 22
IS 8
A1 V Davutoglu
A1 C Yildirim
A1 N Gunay
A1 S Turkmen
YR 2005
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/22/8/595.abstract
AB A 31 year old man with prosthetic aortic valve replacement presented with sudden onset of colic right flank pain. Analysis of the urine revealed haematuria, and the international normalised ratio was suboptimal. The patient was misdiagnosed as having ureteral colic. On the second day, an ultrasound showed no signs of obstructive uropathy, and there was no evidence of absent function on intravenous pyelogram. Computed tomography with contrast agent was performed and revealed a right renal infarction. Renal angiography demonstrated total occlusion of the right renal artery. Fibrinolytic therapy and angioplasty were unsuccessful. To our knowledge, aortic prosthetic valve thrombus as a source of renal artery embolism mimicking renal colic has not been reported previously. This case underlines the importance of renal colic as a manifestation of renal infarction in patients with prosthetic valves and the need for a high index of suspicion of renal embolism.