Purpose: The long-term results were studied in patients who underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for the spontaneous rupture of renal angiomyolipoma (AML).
Material and methods: Five cases (1 male, 4 females) who underwent TAE for spontaneous AML rupture between November, 1996 and February 2000 were studied. Spontaneous rupture of AML was diagnosed with CT. TAE were carried out by injection of ethanol and lipiodol and application of either a metal coil or gelform.
Result: In 4 cases, after performing TAE only one time, the tumor size was reduced and there has been no re-rupture or re-bleeding during the ongoing follow-up. In the other case, an enucleation operation was carried out 11 days after TAE in accordance with the patient's request.
Discussion: Recently, there have been a few reports on the long-term effectiveness of TAE, a conservative treatment for renal AML rupture. Our study indicated that TAE might be recommended for patients with renal AML rupture not only for stanching and pre-operative treatment but also for a conservative treatment with regular follow-up.