Spontaneous Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage (Wunderlich Syndrome) due to Large Upper Pole Renal Angiomyolipoma: Does Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy Have a Role in Primary Treatment?

Abstract

Spontaneous rapture with consequent retroperitoneal hemorrhage (Wunderlich’s syndrome) is the complication mostly feared from large renal angiomyolipomas (RAMLs). In hemodynamic stable patients, minimal invasive therapies have superseded open surgery as the mainstay of treatment, with contemporary cases mostly treated by selective arterial embolization. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) is an established minimal access treatment that has been used in the past for benign and malignant lesions of the kidney in the elective setting, but rarely in urgent situations as primary treatment. We present a case of a ruptured RAML in a young female treated effectively by RALPN.