Renal infarction: CT diagnosis and correlation between CT findings and etiologies.

Abstract

The CT [computed tomography] scans and the clinical records of 12 patients who had renal infarction were reviewed. The renal infarcts were classified as either focal or global. The CT findings were correlated with the etiologies of renal infarction. Embolism was the most common cause of renal infarcts that were multifocal with involvement of both kidneys. Trauma caused a unilateral global type of infarct. A case of sickle cell anemia presented with multiple slit-like focal infarcts and enlarged kidneys. Forty-seven percent of infarcts demonstrated the cortical rim sign, 11% were associated with mass effect, 21% had a subcapsular fluid collection and 6% had an abnormally thickened renal fascia.