Unexpected renal hemorrhage after endovascular repair of complicated type B aortic dissection: two cases report

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is the therapeutic choice for type B aortic dissection. One of the most unfavored complications of this procedure is hemorrhage, which has a low incidence but high mortality. Renal hemorrhage (RH) after endovascular aortic repair has been rarely reported. We presented two cases of unexpected RH after TEVAR for complicated type B aortic dissection, and the potential causes, diagnosis and therapeutic management were discussed. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old female developed hypotension and progressively decrease of hemoglobin within 5 h after TEVAR for acute complicated type B dissection. Bedside ultrasonography and abdominal computed tomography angiography revealed a massive right perinephric hematoma. The right renal angiography detected multiple tortuous vascular branches with diffuse perinephric bleeding. The main trunk of right renal artery was embolized. The patient recovered uneventfully and presented with normal renal function 6 months later. Another patient was a 69-year-old male who was admitted for endovascular repair of a chronic complicated type B aortic dissection. The patient presented with hemodynamic instability early after TEVAR. Bedside ultrasonography showed a giant left retroperitoneal hematoma. The abdominal angiography revealed two active bleeding sits located in the distal branches of left renal artery. A super-selective embolization of the two arteries was performed, however the patient developed abdominal compartment syndrome and died of multiple organ failure. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpected RH after endovascular repair of aortic dissection might be associated with iatrogenic and idiopathic factors. Close surveillance and clinician’s awareness of this rare complication is crucial for accurate and prompt diagnosis. Renal angiography and subsequent selective embolization of bleeding vessels are effective interventions for treating this fatal condition. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12893-018-0440-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.