Three cases of spontaneous lumbar artery rupture in hemodialysis patients

We encountered three cases of retroperitoneal hematoma caused by spontaneous lumbar artery rupture, a rare vascular complication. At the time of retroperitoneal hematoma, two patients were on anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy. One patient was not taking any anticoagulant/antiplatelet agents but was receiving hemodialysis treatment with heparin. Lumbar artery rupture was successfully controlled by transcatheter arterial embolization in all patients, but one patient developed multiple organ failure and died. We suggest that spontaneous lumbar artery rupture may occur in patients being treated with maintenance hemodialysis or anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy. Therefore, clinicians should suspect lumbar artery rupture in patients with unstable vital signs and rapid onset of anemia because early diagnosis and appropriate intervention are necessary to decrease the risks of morbidity and mortality.