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Published on: May 31, 2016
Significant Calcification of an Entire Aortic Tree with Renal Artery Subocclusion: Acute Kidney Injury, Ischemic
Marko Baralić1,2, Selena Gajić1, Aleksandra Kezić1,2
1Clinic of Nephrology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
Insights
Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) can lead to kidney failure. Prompt diagnosis and treatment, such as angioplasty, can restore renal function, even with other health conditions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Nephrology
- Interventional Radiology
Background:
- Undiagnosed atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) can progress to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
- Early recognition of renal artery stenosis (RAS) symptoms and signs is vital for timely diagnosis and treatment.
- Severe aortic atherosclerosis can complicate RAS presentation.
Background:
Undiagnosed and untreated atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) can result in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). To obtain an accurate diagnosis, it is crucial to recognize the symptoms and signs suggesting renal artery stenosis (RAS) and perform appropriate diagnostic and treatment procedures afterward.
Case Presentation:
We present a case of a 60-year-old female patient with hypertensive crisis, acute heart failure (HF), and pulmonary edema as the initial signs of acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by right RAS and left renal artery occlusion in the presence of severe aortic atherosclerosis revealed on computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the abdomen. The patient's renal function recovered completely following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with stent implantation in the right renal artery at the site of subocclusion.
Conclusions:
Even in patients with concomitant disorders like type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (HTN), or HF, the dilatation of significantly narrowed renal arteries due to severe calcifications can result in complete renal function recovery.
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