[Bilateral renal infarction after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy]

Acute renal infarction is an uncommon and often under diagnosed condition mostly because of misleading symptoms. Accurate data regarding clinical presentation, laboratory tests, diagnostic and treatment are lacking. Detection is often delayed or missed because of non-specific clinical presentation. The mechanisms of acute renal infarction are various, mainly embolic or thrombotic. Abdominal CT scan remains the most valuable exam to confirm the diagnosis. Therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of renal embolism have not been well established. The standard treatment strategy includes anticoagulation with or without thrombolysis. Despite the uncertainty regarding management, the renal outcome remains favorable. Some patients do develop some degree of renal insufficiency during the acute episode. We report here the case of a 73-year-old woman with bilateral acute renal infarction after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy.