title: Renal cholesterol embolic disease. Case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Renal cholesterol embolization is a rare disease occurring usually in elderly men who had undergone an angiographic procedure or vascular surgery. We report a man who developed systemic cholesterol embolic disease and acute renal failure after coronary angiography. A review of the English literature for renal cholesterol embolic disease revealed a high incidence of eosinophilia (71%). Livedo reticularis and digital infarcts occurred in more than 30% of patients. Forty percent of patients required dialysis for acute renal failure of whom only one fifth recovered sufficient renal function to stop dialysis. The overall mortality was high at 64%. Skin, muscle and kidney biopsies remain the main tools for diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lye
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinniah
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017700:Embolism, Cholesterol / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012078:Renal Artery Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*