title: Kidney infarction in Friedreich's ataxia with dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: A 37-year-old man with advanced Friedreich's ataxia was referred to our emergency department with acute exacerbated abdominal pain of unclear aetiology. Laboratory tests showed slightly increased inflammatory parameters, elevated troponin and B-type natriuretic peptide, as well as minimal proteinuria. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a pre-existing dilated cardiomyopathy. Abdominal sonography showed no pathological alterations. Owing to persistent pain under analgesia, a contrast-enhanced CT-abdomen was performed, which revealed a non-homogeneous perfusion deficit of the right kidney, although neither abdominal vascular alteration, cardiac thrombus, deep vein thrombosis nor a patent foramen ovale could be detected. Taking all clinical and radiological results into consideration, the current incident was diagnosed as a thromboembolic kidney infarction. As a consequence, lifelong oral anticoagulation was initiated.
authors.affiliation: C' Orthopaedic Department, University of Athens, "KAT" Accident's Hospital, Athen, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios Stergios
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Evangelopoulos
authors.forename: Tatiana Nataly
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Pirvu
authors.forename: Aristomenis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Exadaktylos
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohl
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed