Renal hemangiomas. An analysis of 13 cases diagnosed by angiography

Abstract

The angiographic findings in 13 patients with renal hemangiomas (one pararenal) are presented. The material suggests, contrary to earlier reports, a predominance for the female sex and the right kidney. Nine of the patients had macroscopic hematuria, of which five had renal colic. Obstruction was found at urography in seven cases. Renal angiography is the definitive diagnostic procedure and should be performed in all cases of unexplained macroscopic hematuria. Diagnosis may eventually be improved by pharmacoangiography or by hemodynamic studies using a dye dilution technique, as small arteriovenous shunts may remain undetected at angiography. Cardiac decompensation was not noted in our material, even though arteriovenous shunting within the hemangioma was seen in eight cases, suggesting that the shunt flow in renal hemangiomas usually does not reach levels high enough to impair the general circulation. Hypertension was present in only one patient, attributed to chronic pyelonephritis. Hematuria disappeared in all nine patients operated upon.