[A case of renal infarction treated by thrombolytic therapy with systemic intravenous injection of tPA (tissue plasminogen activator)].

A 55-year-old woman affected by mitralism presented with severe right flank pain of sudden onset. Biochemical examinations showed elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase, and abdominal enhanced computed tomography (CT) demonstrated hypoperfusion of the right kidney. Infarction of the right kidney was highly suspected, and she was immediately treated by systemic intravenous injection of 12,000,000 units of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) per day for 3 days and 120,000 units of urokinase per day for 8 days. After the thrombolytic therapy, abdominal enhanced CT revealed marked improvement of enhancement of right renal parenchyma and decrease of serum LDH. Although thrombolytic therapy with selective intraarterial infusion is considered to be a useful treatment modality for renal infarction, systemic administration of tPA may also be effective judging from the clinical course of the present case.