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

When one kidney does not function, you may not have symptoms because the second kidney can filter the blood.

If the other kidney is not fully functioning, blockage of the renal artery may cause symptoms of acute kidney failure. Other symptoms of acute arterial occlusion of the renal artery include:

• 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.

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

Tests include:

• Duplex Doppler ultrasound exam of the renal arteries to test blood flow
• MRI of the kidney arteries, which can show a lack of blood flow to the affected kidney
• Renal arteriography shows the exact location of the blockage
• Renal scan shows a lack of blood flow to the affected kidney
• Ultrasound of the kidney to check kidney size

Images

Kidney anatomy

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Kidney blood supply

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Acute arterial occlusion Overview

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Acute arterial occlusion Treatment

Review Date: 06/08/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Herbert Y Lin, MD, PhD, Nephrologist, Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)