Spontaneous dissection of the renal artery: case report

Spontaneous renal artery dissection is rare and most cases are considered idiopathic. Previous renal arterial disease may be present in some cases and clinical presentation is often non-specific. Here, the authors present a case of spontaneous renal artery dissection in a 40-year-old male patient with uncontrolled hypertension discovered during investigation of secondary hypertension. Duplex ultrasound initially showed 80% left renal artery stenosis which was shown to be a renal artery dissection during angiography. The patient was successfully managed by percutaneous placement of a renal artery stent.