Severe Hypertension with Segmental Renal Infarction Following Surgical Removal of a Retroperitoneal Malignant Hemangiopericytoma: A Case Report

Severe hypertension developed in a fifty-five year-old woman after surgical removal of a retroperitoneal tumor, when the renal artery was injured. Renal arteriography after the surgery demonstrated a segmental infarction of the right kidney. A close relationship between activation of the renin-angiotensin system and the development of severe hypertension was observed. Satisfactory control of blood pressure concomitant with reduction of plasma renin activity was achieved by a combination of an angiotensin-converting anzyme inhibitor, β- blocking agent, and calcium-entry blocker. The mechanism of activation of the renin-angiotensin system in renal infarction is discussed.