Spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage associated with renal disease

Spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage is an uncommon entity. It is even rarer when the underlying cause is associated with renal disease. In most cases the non-traumatic rupture of a kidney requires an emergency surgical intervention as the underlying disease only becomes clear intra-operatively. Most patients with a spontaneous kidney rupture have a renal tumour. Of these renal tumours, angiomyolipomas show a particular tendency to rupture. The cases are reported of five patients who presented with an acute onset of spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage from different kidney disorders. The importance of considering the possibility of spontaneous kidney rupture in the evaluation of patients presenting with spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage is stressed.