[Diagnosis and prognosis of atheroembolic disease]

Atheroembolic disease is recognized as an iatrogenic complication from an invasive vascular procedure, such as manipulation of the aorta during angiography or vascular surgery, and after anticoagulant and fibrinolytic therapy. Cholesterol crystal embolism is caused by showers of cholesterol crystals from an atherosclerotic aorta that occlude small arteries. The kidney is a frequent target organ for cholesterol emboli because of proximity of the renal arteries to abdominal aorta and it receive an enormous amount of blood flows. We describe the epidemiologic agents of 19 cases that were diagnosed by histologic sections of the affected tissues; the eosinophilia and the renal failure are the clinical features that guide to the diagnosis, in patients with ischemic nephropathy and general atherosclerosis. 53% among patients had a previous invasive procedure and 26% occurred spontaneously. We remark the importance of the kidney's biopsy in diagnosis of the atheroembolic disease and their bad prognosis with 63% of death rate in 18 months of average follow-up. We report patients with the multiple cholesterol emboli syndrome mimicking systemic vasculitis: they died by multivisceral acute failure. The subacute presentation of atheroembolic disease with progressive renal failure treated with hemodialysis is a sign of bad prognosis. The knowledge of the disease and their prevention are the better treatment.