Acute arterial occlusion - kidney Health Article

Definition

Acute arterial occlusion of the kidney is a sudden, severe blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the kidney.

Alternative Names

Acute renal arterial thrombosis; Renal artery embolism; Acute renal artery occlusion; Embolism - renal artery

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The kidneys are very sensitive to the amount of blood that flows through them. Any reduction of blood flow through the renal artery can impair kidney function. If prolonged, a complete blockage of blood flow to the kidney often results in permanent kidney failure.

Acute arterial occlusion of the kidney can occur after injury or trauma to the abdomen, side, or occasionally the back. Blood clots that travel through the bloodstream (emboli) can lodge in the renal artery.

The risk of emboli increases in people who have a history of certain heart disorders such as mitral stenosis or atrial fibrillation. Individuals with disorders that make them highly likely to form clots may be especially likely to develop acute renal artery occlusions.

Occasionally, renal artery stenosis can increase the risk of a sudden occlusion because a clot forms.

Symptoms

When one kidney doesn't function, you may not have symptoms because the second kidney adequately filters the blood. Some people develop high blood pressure (hypertension), however.

If the other kidney is not functioning, blockage of the renal artery may cause symptoms of acute kidney failure:

• Abdominal pain
• Abrupt decrease in urine output
• Back pain
• Blood in the urine
• Flank pain or pain in the side

Note: There may be no pain. Pain, if it is present, usually develops suddenly.

Signs and tests

The doctor will likely not be able to identify the problem by simply examining you, unless you've had the disorder long enough to cause kidney failure.

Tests include:

• MRI or renal scan shows lack of blood flow to the affected kidney
• Renal arteriography shows the exact location of the occlusion