Renal artery aneurysm: Improved renal function after coil embolization

Purpose: To describe a case of improved renal function and renovascular hypertension after percutaneous treatment of a renal artery aneurysm. Case report. A 72-year-old hypertensive woman with a hilar saccular aneurysm of the right renal artery underwent percutaneous coil embolization under local anesthesia. Four individual, soft, detachable platinum embolization coils were successfully inserted in the aneurysm with incomplete aneurysm exclusion. Nonetheless, the patient's blood pressure and renal function returned to normal. The arteriogram at 3 months demonstrated complete exclusion of the lesion and good renal perfusion. The patient remains normotensive with documented improved renal function at 18 months after treatment. Conclusions: Superselective coil embolization is an effective treatment for renal artery aneurysms that display proper morphological features. The long-term outcome of this less invasive therapy still must be assessed, but it appears plausible that embolotherapy of renal artery aneurysms can correct secondary hypertension and deteriorating renal function.