Coexistence of renal vein thrombosis and adrenal hemorrhage in two newborns

Adrenal Hemorrhage in Neonates: Unusual Presentation

Adrenal hemorrhage (AH) is a relatively uncommon condition in newborns. It may be asymptomatic or may present with flank abdominal mass, anemia, jaundice, or rarely as scrotal bruising or hematoma. We report two cases of AH in neonates; the first presented with scrotal hematoma and the second with adrenal mass associated with hypertension and oliguria, primarily secondary to coincidental renal vein thrombosis. Diagnosis was confirmed by abdominal ultrasound. Patients were managed conservatively with clinical observation and by following hemoglobin and bilirubin levels closely. Both infants were discharged without surgical intervention after several days in the hospital. Clinicians should consider AH when a newborn presents with scrotal bruising or hematoma, unexplained anemia, unexplained jaundice, or flank abdominal mass. Timely ultrasonographic evaluation of both adrenal glands and testes in neonates with scrotal hematoma may spare infants from unnecessary surgical intervention because scrotal hematoma often raises the suspicion of testicular torsion.

Neonatal renal vein thrombosis: review of the English-language literature between 1992 and 2006

Renal vein thrombosis is a complication that occurs in neonates with various underlying risk factors. It carries a grave prognosis for affected kidneys. Anticoagulant and fibrinolytic therapies have been promoted in the past with anecdotal success in some circumstances. However, prospective controlled trials are still lacking, and to date there have been no evidence-based guidelines available for the treatment of neonates with renal vein thrombosis. We retrospectively reviewed all the available medical literature pertaining to renal vein thrombosis published in English during the past 15 years. A total of 271 patients from 13 case series were identified by using the terms "renal vein thrombosis" and "neonates" via PubMed and Cochrane Library searches. Data then were extracted from each of the studies for analysis. During the past 15 years, a male predominance (67.2%) in neonatal renal vein thrombosis has been reported. More than 70% of patients had unilateral renal vein thrombosis, which was more prevalent on the left side (63.6%). The thrombus involved the inferior vena cava and was associated with adrenal hemorrhage in 43.7% and 14.8% of neonates, respectively. Forty percent of the patients were treated conservatively with supportive care alone. Among those patients who received anticoagulation therapy, unfractionated heparin and low molecular weight heparin were used alone in 21.6% and 20.7% of the patients, respectively. Fibrinolytic treatment alone was used in 11.2% of the patients. Only a minority of patients were treated with antithrombin (1.7%), warfarin alone, (0.9%) or underwent surgical intervention (0.3%). The majority (70.6%) of the involved kidneys became atrophic. A total of 9 neonates died with non-renal vein thrombosis-related conditions during the study period. Evidence-based recommendations on treatment cannot be made at the present time. Cooperative prospective studies that involve multiple centers are needed to elucidate the optimal treatment for neonatal renal vein thrombosis.

Hemorragia adrenal bilateral com trombose da veia renal direita e veia cava inferior em um recém-nascido

Os autores apresentam um caso de um recém-nascido com um tipo raro de associação de hemorragia adrenal bilateral com trombose de veia renal direita e de veia cava inferior, em que os exames de ultra-sonografia e tomografia computadorizada exerceram papel crucial no estabelecimento do diagnóstico, orientação da conduta e seguimento do paciente.

Coexisting calcified inferior vena cava thrombus and adrenal hemorrhage in the neonate: report of three cases

Coexisting calcified inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus and adrenal hemorrhage are uncommon in children. We present three such cases diagnosed by ultrasound in three boys who were born after 41-, 38-, and 38-week gestations, respectively. In all cases the pregnancy and delivery were unremarkable. The birthweight was 3,630 g, 3,210 g, and 3,390 g, respectively. Left adrenal hemorrhage occurred in all cases. Associated left renal vein thrombus occurred in two cases. The mean followup was 8.5 years. In two cases ultrasound showed persistence of a calcified thrombus and residual stenosis of the IVC. In the third case the IVC thrombus had almost disappeared.