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Case Reports
. 2025 Apr 9;17(4):e81968.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.81968. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Renal Atrophy Following Selective Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for Angiomyolipoma as an Uncommon but Significant Complication: A Case Report and Literature Review

A B Azharul Islam  1 , Samuel Bishara  1 , Konstantinos Charitopoulos  1 , David Ellis  1 , Panagiotis Nikolinakos  1 , Maisha Zaman Poushi  2 , Ivo Donkov  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Renal Atrophy Following Selective Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for Angiomyolipoma as an Uncommon but Significant Complication: A Case Report and Literature Review

A B Azharul Islam et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign mesenchymal tumor that is often treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) to prevent complications such as hemorrhage. Although TAE is generally effective, it can lead to complications, including renal ischemia and atrophy. We present the case of a 72-year-old woman who underwent embolization for a right renal AML. After the procedure, she experienced damage to the renal artery, which resulted in progressive kidney shrinkage and impaired renal function. This case highlights the potential complications of embolization in managing renal AML and highlights the necessity for the long-term monitoring of renal function after the procedure.

Keywords: chronic kidney damage; glomerular filtration rate (gfr) decline; renal angiomyolipoma (aml); renal atrophy; renal infarction; transcatheter arterial embolization (tae).

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Pre-procedure USG KUB: The purple arrow indicates a hyperechoic cortical nodule in the right kidney. The numbered markers (1-4), placed by the sonographer, represent caliper measurements of the lesion's dimensions and were intended for size documentation.
USG KUB: ultrasound of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder
Figure 2
Figure 2. Pre-procedure CT angiogram. (A) Coronal section: Orange arrow indicates the normal-sized right kidney. (B) Axial section: Orange arrow highlights the right renal angiomyolipoma.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Intraoperative and post-procedure imaging. (A) Intraoperative fluoroscopic angiography: Blue arrow indicates the micro nester coil. (B) Postoperative CT angiogram: Blue arrow highlights the embolization coil.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Follow-up CT of the kidneys showing right renal atrophy. (A) Coronal section: Green arrow indicates the atrophic right kidney. (B) Axial section: Green arrow highlights the atrophic right kidney.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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