A novel surgical approach to symptomatic left renal vein aneurysm

Visceral venous aneurysms are uncommon and renal vein aneurysms are among the rarest in this subset. Renal vein aneurysms are frequently asymptomatic, but patients may present with flank pain or hematuria. Complications of untreated visceral venous aneurysms include thrombus formation and, very rarely, rupture. Treatment of renal vein aneurysms ranges from watchful waiting to surgical repair. We describe a patient with renal vein aneurysm presenting with recurrent pulmonary embolus with no other identifiable source. Furthermore, we propose a novel surgical treatment with complete resection of the aneurysm and reconstruction of venous return by transposing the inferior mesenteric vein to the remaining left renal vein.