Kidney function after renal arterial embolism.

Seven patients with atrial fibrillation had acute unilateral renal pain associated with suppression of function in the affected kidney. This was ascribed to renal embolism. Arteriography performed in four patients showed abnormalities in the renal arterial tree in three, though thrombus in a main artery was present in only one.Considerable function returned spontaneously to the affected kidney in six patients as judged by intravenous pyelography or renography. In two patients the sole functioning kidney was affected, leading to acute oliguric renal failure, but renal function recovered in each case. The routine use of anticoagulants in persistent atrial fibrillation is justified by such cases.