Arteriovenous fistula after partial nephrectomy--successful surgical repair. Report of a case.

The postnephrectomy arteriovenous fistula is a very rare condition. There have been 49 cases reported in the world literature to date. Our case is the 50th of this series, and, to our knowledge, the first one following partial nephrectomy. Recurrence of the hypertension after nephrectomy, increasing heart failure, lumbar or upper abdominal bruit are the most characteristic clinical signs suggesting the presence of an arteriovenous communication. The basic diagnostic procedure is angiography. The proper surgical treatment is the separate ligature of the 2 vessels involved.