Emergency embolization of a bleeding renal angiomyolipoma using polyvinyl alcohol particles

Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are hamartomatous lesions consisting of abnormal blood vessels, smooth muscle, and adipose tissue. Bilateral AMLs invariably point to a diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). The risk of hemorrhage in AML is related to tumor size, growth of the tumor, hypervascularization, presence of aneurysms, and association with TSC. We report a case of a young male who presented with painless hematuria. He was diagnosed with bilateral renal AMLs on ultrasonography and computed tomography. The large bleeding lesions were identified by renal angiography and selectively embolized using polyvinyl alcohol particles. To the best of our knowledge, isolated use of polyvinyl alcohol particles has not been previously reported.