[Therapeutic embolization of renal angiomyolipoma: a case report]

A case of bilateral renal angiomyolipoma without tuberous sclerosis is reported. A 49-year-old woman was admitted to the general practitioner with a sudden onset of severe left flank pain. An excretory urogram and ultrasonogram revealed an enlargement of the left kidney. She was subsequently referred to our clinic for further investigation and treatment. Computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging using Tl-weighted image showed several tumors with a fatty, dense area in the bilateral kidney. An arteriogram demonstrated a hypervascular renal mass with aneurysms in her left kidney. Diagnosis of bilateral renal angiomyolipoma was confirmed by percutaneous needle biopsy. Superselective embolization of the tumor was successfully performed, preserving normal renal tissue. Gelatin sponges containing Carboquone (CQ sponge) were used as embolic material. Angiomyolipoma has become relatively easy to diagnose by CT, ultrasound, MRI and so on. However, there are some cases of angiomyolipoma which are indistinguishable from renal cell carcinoma using these modes of testing. Therefore, in selecting a conservative management, we indicated that percutaneous biopsy or open biopsy should be done to confirm the results of the above procedures. Moreover, therapeutic embolization for angiomyolipoma was concluded to be very useful.