Super-selective renal artery embolization is an increasingly popular technique for the management of traumatic, low-grade renal trauma. When performed in distal arterial branches, this intervention enables tissue preservation and arrest of hemorrhage, but it may not be practical in cases of multifocal, high-grade renal injuries. In such cases, surgical nephrectomy remains the more common treatment modality to ensure hemodynamic control. We present the unique case of a patient who presented in hemorrhagic shock following a major trauma that resulted in a grade 5 renal injury treated with complete renal artery embolization using Gelfoam, resulting in hemodynamic stabilization. Interestingly, imaging 1 month after embolization revealed residual enhancement of the inferior pole of the kidney, suggesting reconstitution of flow and partial renal salvage. Ultimately, transcatheter “nephrectomy” with careful selection of a temporary embolic agent may serve as a safe and efficient alternative to surgical nephrectomy with the added possibility of preserving partial renal perfusion and function in the emergent setting.

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• Salvation of a solitary kidney in a patient with grade IV renal trauma: a case report
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  Journal of Trauma and Injury.2022; 35(Suppl 1): S18.     CrossRef
• The Role of Renal Artery Embolisation in the Management of Blunt Renal Injuries: A Review
  Rosemary Denning Ho, Vivek Shrivastava, Amir Mokhtari, Raghuram Lakshminarayan
  Vascular and Endovascular Review.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef