Spontaneous rupture of the renal allograft

Spontaneous renal allograft rupture, an unusual complication of renal transplantation, occurred in a 35-year-old woman 10 days after transplantation. Unusual localized pain and tenderness at allograft site, oliguria, and hypotension, a triad frequently seen in renal allograft rupture, were present. Management by transplant nephrectomy was inevitable because of the patient's downhill course. Histopathologic findings diagnostic of acute allograft rejection support current thinking that spontaneous rupture may be the final outcome, although unusual, of renal allograft rejection.