Massive infarction of papillary carcinoma of the kidney after fine needle aspiration biopsy: report of a case with cytohistologic correlation.

Background: Papillary carcinomas are rare malignant tumors of the kidney that sometimes are diagnosed preoperatively from their characteristic computed tomography appearance.

Case: A patient with papillary carcinoma of the kidney developed a selective and massive infarction of the neoplastic tissue after fine needle aspiration biopsy.

Conclusion: Papillary carcinoma of the kidney should be added to the list of neoplasms prone to undergo ischemic infarction after fine needle aspiration.