OBJECTIVETo investigate the characteristics,diagnosis and therapy of post-biopsy renal artery pseudoaneurysm in children and to study the clinical value of arterial embolization for traumatic renal hemorrhage when conservative treatment failed.

METHODData were compiled from medical records of a child in whom renal artery pseudoaneurysm occurred after biopsy in the Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University , and the related literature was reviewed to analyze the diagnosis and treatment of such pseudoaneurysm.

RESULTA 13-year-old boy had gross hematuria, aggravated dysuria and decreased hemoglobin 10 days after percutaneous renal biopsy. Hb decreased from 110 g/L on the first day after admission to 92 g/L on the 4th day, 83 g/L on the 7th day and the minimum to 74 g/L at the 8th day after admission. Ultrasound showed solid echogenic mass in the right renal pelvis as well as the bladder. Color Doppler ultrasound shows the red and blue rotation of blood flow in the polar capsule under the right kidney. Contrast-enhanced CT in the arterial phase showed a 0.5 cm sized renal mass with a strongly enhanced dot in the lower pole of the right kidney, suggesting a renal artery pseudoaneurysm. Haemostatic, supplement of red blood cells and blood volume and other integrative treatment of hematuria were applied for seven days, but his gross hematuria continued to be worsened. He was diagnosed as pseudoaneurysm by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) on the 19th day after renal biopsy. Superselective renal artery embolization using micro-coils and gelatin sponge particles was performed, and the blood clots were cleaned under cystoscope. Macro-haematuria and dysuria disappeared after the interventional treatment. Retrieval of reports on post-biopsy renal artery pseudoaneurysm in children by using "pseudoaneurysm, child" as the search term showed report of one case from the Chinese CNKI database and 3 cases from the PubMed database. The underlying disease was Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis in 3 cases and Sneedon syndrome in 1 case; clinical manifestation of gross haematuria was present in 4 cases, lumbago or pain at the site of the puncture in 2 cases, dysuria in 1 case, and fever in 2 cases.

CONCLUSIONThe post-biopsy renal artery pseudoaneurysm in children is often manifested as gross hematuria, lumbago, pain at the site of the puncture, fever and dysuria, DSA can be used for definite diagnosis and the interventional treatment is effective.