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Stanford Health Care

Renal artery thrombosis

Renal Artery Thrombosis

Renal artery thrombosis is the formation of a clot in a renal artery. A thrombosis of a renal artery may cause kidney failure because of blocked blood flow to the kidney.

Renal artery thrombosis symptoms

Acute (sudden) complete blockage:

  • Sudden onset of flank (between the ribs and the upper border of the hip bone) pain and tenderness
  • Fever
  • Blood in the urine
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Sudden decrease in kidney function
  • Hypertension

More gradual or incomplete blockages: May be asymptomatic (without symptoms) and go undetected.

Treatment for renal artery thrombosis

Treatment of a renal artery thrombosis depends on the type (acute or chronic) of thrombosis, and the length of time since the thrombosis occurred.

In acute situations, thrombolytic ("clot-busting") medication may be infused into the renal artery for several hours to several days to break up the clot.

Surgery to remove the clot or bypass the artery may be performed in some situations.