Therapeutic embolization for renal angiomyolipoma: case report and review of the literature.

A 47-year-old woman experienced sudden onset of severe left flank pain. By computed tomography (CT) and arteriography, her condition was diagnosed as a ruptured angiomyolipoma of the left kidney. She did not have tuberous sclerosis. Using polyvinyl alcohol foam (Ivalon) particles, immediate embolization of a main artery feeding the tumor--the posterior branch of the left renal artery--was performed. Three months after embolization, intravenous digital subtraction angiography (IVDSA) showed this main feeder was still occluded. This case and others encountered in our review of the literature underscore the usefulness of therapeutic embolization for renal angiomyolipoma.