Acute prolonged renal arterial infarction. Return of function after thromboendarterectomy

This report describes a case of complete occlusion of the right renal artery. Arteriography and intravenous pyelography demonstrated no kidney function. The occlusion was treated by endarterectomy, and eleven days later another intravenous pyelogram revealed that renal function had been restored. A review of the literature also suggests that acute occlusion (caused by embolism) or chronic occlusion (caused by atherosclerosis) should be treated surgically to perserve renal function, reserving nephrectomy only if that should fail.