Spontaneous rupture of the kidney: a cause of acute abdominal pain. Case report.

We report on 5 patients who presented with acute onset of abdominal pain, a palpable mass, and a rapid decrease in hemoglobin. All 5 patients had been entirely free of urological symptoms until shortly before hospitalization. Spontaneous rupture of a kidney with an underlying pathological condition was found in all cases. In 2 cases the underlying lesion was renal cell carcinoma, while in the other 3 cases the lesion was a renal angiomyolipoma, a polycystic kidney and hydronephrosis secondary to UPJ obstruction, respectively. The importance of considering the possibility of spontaneous rupture of the kidney in the evaluation of cases of an acute abdomen is stressed.