Arteriovenous fistulae secondary to renal cell carcinoma. Clinical and cardiovascular manifestations: report of a case.

A 63-year-old woman presented with progressive congestive heart failure and unexplained cardiomegaly. Diagnostic workup revealed large arteriovenous fistulae in the lower pole of the left kidney. A total left nephrectomy was performed and microscopic exam revealed renal cell carcinoma. Following surgery, the congestive heart failure cleared and the patient has been asymptomatic for one year. The pertinent findings of the 22 patients who have been reported previously in the literature with arteriovenous fistulae complicating renal cell carcinoma are reviewed. Thirty percent of the patients presented with cardiovascular complaints, and 60% had significant cardiovascular findings during the course of evaluation. An abdominal bruit was the most discriminating finding on physical exam, and it occurred in 72% of the reported cases. The diagnosis was unexpectedly established by surgery in 13%, and by angiography in 87% -- usually in the course of a workup for hypertension, abdominal pain, hematuria, or during search for an occult malignancy. An extensive evaluation is required for early diagnosis of this correctible cause of hypertension and heart failure.