Mesenteric infarction: a fatal complication of renal transluminal angioplasty

In a 47-year-old patient with renovascular hypertension due to a totally obstructed left and a severe constricted right renal artery, a successful transluminal renal angioplasty was performed with normalisation of blood pressure. Thirteen days later the patient died of a mesenteric infarction, possibly caused by normalisation of the blood pressure in the presence of a severe mesenterical stenosis. The benefit of preventive screening of other vital organs in highly atheromatous patients is discussed.