📖 Overview
Renal artery embolization selectively occludes renal arterial branches to stop bleeding, reduce tumour blood supply, or devascularise the kidney before surgery. It is performed via femoral artery access under local anaesthesia, as a day procedure.
Main indications at Cochin AP-HP: angiomyolipoma (AML) with bleeding or at-risk size (>4 cm), post-traumatic or post-biopsy renal haemorrhage, and pre-operative embolization of renal cell carcinoma before planned nephrectomy.
⚡ At a glance — key figures
Renal embolization selectively blocks kidney arteries through a catheter, either urgently (trauma, haemorrhage) or electively (tumour, vascular malformation).
| Criterion | Data |
|---|---|
| Emergency use | Often performed as a life-saving emergency procedure for kidney haemorrhage |
| Anaesthesia | Local, via a femoral artery puncture |
| Kidney function | Precise targeting maximises preservation of healthy kidney tissue |
| Cost | Yes. At Cochin AP-HP (a French public hospital), this procedure is covered by national health insurance with no out-of-pocket fees. Please use our contact form. |
Data validated by the team of Prof. Anthony Dohan, Department of Interventional Radiology, Cochin Hospital AP-HP.
🎯 Indications
- Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) >4 cm or actively bleeding — selective embolization preserves renal function
- Post-traumatic renal haemorrhage — emergency embolization
- Post-biopsy or post-ablation haematoma with ongoing haemorrhage
- Pre-operative embolization before radical nephrectomy for large renal cell carcinoma
- Total renal artery embolization in selected palliation cases
❓ Frequently asked questions
🔗 Related pages
🇫🇷 This page is also available in French: embolisation-renale.html
✓ Why this page is trustworthy
Written by the Interventional Radiology team at Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Université Paris Cité. Medically reviewed by an interventional radiologist of the department. Last updated: August 2026.