Abstrait

Wunderlich syndrome: spontaneous atraumatic rupture of the kidney

Nalaka Gunawansa*, Dinesha Sudusinghe, Dilushi Wijayaratne and Chathurika Beligaswatta

Atraumatic spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage is a distinct clinical entity with potentially life-threatening complications. The commonest aetologies include ruptured aortic or visceral aneurysm, spontaneous rupture of the kidney and patients with coagulopathies. Spontaneous rupture of the kidney can occur due to underlying renal pathologies such as malignancy, angiomyolipoma, vascular malformation, vasculitis and infection. Approximately 5% of such cases occur without an identifiable renal pathology and are termed as ‘idiopathic’. Idiopathic spontaneous rupture has been described among patients on chronic haemodialysis associated with acquired cystic disease of the kidney. We describe the extremely rare instance of a patient with a failed renal allograft and recently started on haemodialysis who suffered an idiopathic spontaneous rupture of his native kidney.