Successful Salvage of a Renal Allograft after Acute Renal Vein Thrombosis due to May-Thurner Syndrome

A 68-year-old Caucasian female with a past medical history of a deceased donor kidney transplant four months prior was admitted with a two-day history of anuria and acute kidney injury. A renal ultrasound demonstrated thrombus in the transplanted kidney's renal vein that extended into the left iliac vein as well as into the left femoral venous system. Catheter-guided tissue thrombolytics were infused directly into the clot. Within twelve hours of initiating thrombolytic infusion, there was brisk urine output. Interval venography demonstrated decreasing clot burden. At the time of discharge her creatinine was 0.78 mg/dL, similar to her baseline value prior to presentation. The patient was noted to have May-Thurner syndrome on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Angioplasty followed by stent placement was done. Unique to our case report was the timing of the presentation of renal vein thrombosis (four months after transplant) and the predisposing anatomy consistent with May-Thurner syndrome, which was diagnosed with IVUS and successfully treated with local thrombolytics.