Renal hemorrhage after ESWL: From small hematoma to renal blowout

OBJECTIVETo report two cases of renal hemorrhage after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and their therapeutic management.METHODSDescription of the clinical cases, together with the diagnosis and therapeutic management of these complications.RESULTSWe present two cases of patients with renal hemorrhage after ESWL, which were performed without immediate complications. One of the cases, after detecting an important laceration of the renal parenchyma, needed two embolization sessions for its short-term resolution; however, the patient finally passed away due to the complications derived from hemorrhage. The other case was solved through conservative management.CONCLUSIONSEven though hemorrhage is an infrequent complication after ESWL, it should be suspected when the patient presents compatible clinical symptoms, since even though most cases are resolved in a conservative manner, on some occasions specific treatments for the hemorrhage are necessary. Old age and the presence of vascular comorbidities seem to be related to a higher risk of hemorrhage after ESWL.