[Renal pneumatisation simulating suppuration : possible consequence of renal artery embolisation. Two cases (author's...

The authors report two cases of renal pneumatisation immediately following renal artery embolisation performed for carcinoma of the kidney. The particularly painful and inflammatory (high fever, leucocytosis, increased sedimentation rate) led to abdominal X-rays which revealed signs of gas in the kidney. In the first case this consisted of rounded clear areas distributed in a linear fashion and indicative of intravascular pneumatisation. In case n degrees 2, intravascular pneumatisation was accompanied by gas in the calyces. In the absence of suppuration and of proven infectious cause, the authors failed to find any explanation for the presence of gas bubbles in the vessels and calyces of the embolised kidney.