Renal artery thrombosis following secondary cytoreduction in a patient with ovarian cancer.

Background: In order to successfully perform aggressive cytoreductive surgery for patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, resection of retroperitoneal disease in close proximity to major vessels is often required.

Case: We describe a case of a 44-year-old female patient with a history of Stage IV carcinoma of the ovary, who underwent a successful secondary debulking procedure. To remove the left para-aortic tumor implant she required complete mobilization of the left kidney, with skeletonization of the left renal artery and vein. Postoperatively, the patient developed left renal artery thrombosis necessitating a unilateral nephrectomy.

Conclusion: This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of renal artery thrombosis following a debulking procedure. Gynecologic oncologists should be aware of this possibility and be familiar with the diagnosis and management of this condition.