Spontaneous Rupture of Renal Cell Carcinoma in a Horseshoe Kidney: A Case Report

Spontaneous rupture of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a horseshoe kidney has not been described previously. We report a case of this condition in a 52-year-old man with a chief complaint of back pain. Spontaneous rupture of renal tumor in a horseshoe kidney was diagnosed by enhanced computed tomography, and treated with transarterial embolization (TAE). Radical heminephrectomy was performed after TAE. This case indicates that enhanced computed tomography and renal angiography are desirable prior to surgery for evaluation of the anatomical variations of a horseshoe kidney, and that preoperative TAE may be beneficial for achieving reliable vascular control. World J Nephrol Urol. 2015;4(2):218-221 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/wjnu215w