Demey Alexis, Colomb Frédéric, Pebeyre Bruno, Raffaelli Charles, Garcia Grégory, Toubol Jacques, Chevallier Daniel, Amiel Jean
Fédération d'Urologie-Néphrologie, Hôpital Pasteur, Pavillon A, BP 69, 06002 Nice.
Prog Urol. 2003 Jun;13(3):486-90.
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is associated with a high risk of complications, particularly bleeding, which makes it a potentially invasive technique. Management of haemorrhagic complications sometimes requires the use of embolization. Recurrence after embolization can occur as a result of revascularization or recanalization of vessels, but post-embolization infarction can also lead to persistent haematuria. The authors report the clinical case of a 36-year-old patient presenting with recurrence of severe haematuria after two successive highly selective embolizations. Analysis of the mean corpuscular volume of red cells in the urine confirmed the parenchymal and non-vascular origin of the bleeding, corresponding to a post-embolization syndrome. This analysis therefore constitutes a simple way to avoid repeated embolization or surgical exploration.