Renal cholesterol embolic disease effectively treated with steroid pulse therapy.
A 65-year-old man developed acute renal failure with eosinophilia two weeks after a coronary bypass operation and angiography. Renal biopsy revealed cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) in glomeruli and arterioles. Low-dose corticosteroid therapy failed to recover the renal function; further deterioration of renal function and peripheral ischemic symptoms such as livedo reticularis and blue toes occurred. However, steroid pulse therapy successfully attenuated CCE-induced renal failure and eosinophilia. It is suggested that steroid pulse therapy might be effective to treat CCE-induced renal failure and eosinophilia could be a useful marker for activity of CCE.
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