Is it renal colic or ruptured dissecting aneurysm of renal artery?: A case report

INTRODUCTION: The dissecting aneurysm of renal artery is a form of renal artery occlusive disease that is infrequently recognized in the literature. However, when encountered, it is of great clinical significance because symptoms related to aneurysm are rarely seen and there is risk of its rupture. CASE PRESENTATION: The present case was a 30 year old Indian male, who presented with recurrent episodes of pain mimicking renal colic, which turned out to be a ruptured dissecting aneurysm of renal artery on exploration. The patient could not be salvaged due to delay in the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This report highlights that rupture of renal artery aneurysm is a rare but potentially lethal clinical entity and should be considered as one of the differential diagnosis in patients with severe and persistent renal colicky type of pain in the absence of obvious findings on routine investigations.