[Percutaneous transluminal embolization in arterial retroperitoneal traumatic hemorrhage]

This study presents three cases of uncontrollable retroperitoneal arterial haemorrhage diagnosed by angiography and treated by transluminal embolization with coils. The haemorrhage originated in one patient from a branch of the internal iliac artery and in the other two patients from a renal artery. The circulation was stabilized in all three patients after transluminal coil embolization proximal to the arterial lesions. One patient died of multiorgan failure due to prolonged uncontrolled haemorrhage before embolization and one patient died as a consequence of low haemoglobin due to religiously based rejection of blood transfusion. Trauma patients with uncontrollable haemorrhage and retroperitoneal haematoma should be suspected of an arterial lesion and as early as possible be transferred to a center with experience in catheterisation and transluminal embolization.