Experimental Renal Artery Thromboembolism

The natural history of experimental renal artery embolism with autogenous thrombus in 16 mongrel dogs has been investigated by sequential selective renal angiography and correlated with examination of the kidneys following autopsy. Angiography in the early (0–24 hr) post-thromboembolism period shows evidence of arterial obstruction and/or spasm which progressively disappears leaving no apparent permanent damage. However, within one or two weeks arterial and nephrographic changes and loss of renal size are discernible by careful comparison with the pre-embolism angiogram. At autopsy multiple disseminated microscopic infarcts involving the convoluted tubules were demonstrable in all cases. Occasionally large wedge-shaped infarcts involving the full thickness of the cortex were superadded. The potential importance of these findings relating to angiographic technique and assessment of treatment of renal thromboembolism is discussed.