Purpose: This study reviews our experience over the last 10 years with procedures of embolisation and/or exclusion of the renal arteries, their parenchymal branches and the polar arteries [renal artery embolisation (RAE)].
Materials and methods: Twenty-seven patients (19 men and eight women; age range 37-93 years; mean 74 years) underwent RAE. The indications were: symptomatic gross haematuria in nine patients (33.3%) (tumour-related in seven and iatrogenic in two), symptomatic inoperable renal tumour in five (18.5%), large subcapsular or perirenal haematoma in three (11.1%) and aneurysm of the main renal artery in two (7.4%). Eight patients (29.6%) scheduled for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of the abdominal aorta underwent prophylactic embolisation of the renal polar branch arising from the aneurysmal sac or the subrenal aortic neck to prevent the possible revascularisation of the sac. Different embolisation agents were used: coils (17 cases), embolisation particles (14 cases), glue (one case), coated stent (two cases) and mechanical occlusion devices (two cases). In 11 cases, two to three different embolisation agents were used together.
Results: Technical success was achieved in 26/27 patients (96.3%); in one case, embolisation of a polar artery arising from the aneurysmal sac was not possible. One case of gross haematuria recurred 13 months after the procedure and was re-treated with success. There were no cases of major or minor complications.
Conclusions: RAE is an effective and minimally invasive procedure in the treatment of neoplastic/iatrogenic symptomatic gross haematuria and in the palliative treatment of inoperable renal tumours. One possible new indication is the prophylactic exclusion of the polar artery arising from the neck or the sac of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients who are candidates for EVAR. In our experience, we observed very low morbidity and a short hospital stay. This procedure requires the availability of various materials for performing embolisation and experience in their use.