Life-threatening spontaneous retroperitoneal bleeding: A rare complicationof oral anticoagulation

In a patient on oral anticoagulation with sudden onset of loin pain, the po ssibility of spontaneous bleeding in the retroperitoneum must be considered in the differential diagnosis of renal colic. This rare pathology can be l ife-threatening, and rapid diagnosis with ultrasound and computerized tomog raphy of the abdomen must be made. if the patient is hemodynamically stable , a conservative approach is justified. Otherwise, emergency nephrectomy ma y be needed. As patients become older and indications for anticoagulant the rapy become more common, we will probably have to face more of these rare b leeding complications in the future: We report such a case. Copyright (C) 2 000 S. Karger AG, Basel.