Cholesterol atheroembolic renal disease. Report of 3 cases with emphasis on diagnosis by skin biopsy and extended survival.

Because antemortem diagnosis is difficult, renal failure due to cholesterol atheroembolism has, until recently, been regarded as a uniformly irreversible and generally fatal disease. Of late, recovery of renal function in several patients in whom the diagnosis was made by organ or other invasive biopsy has been reported. Three cases of cholesterol atheroembolic renal failure in which the diagnosis was made by simple, noninvasive biopsy of the skin in areas showing livedo reticularis are described. Two of the patients, including 1 who required dialysis for 2 months, had an extended survival with recovery of renal function.