Summary

Renal cell carcinoma is reported to have potent angiogenic activity with a high microvascular density in both primary and metastatic sites compared with other adenocarcinomas. Angiogenesis can lead to the formation of abnormal arteriovenous shunts that can, in patients with peripheral vascular disease, result in worsening of the degree of ischaemia by producing a vascular steal-like phenomena. Nevertheless, steal phenomena secondary to malignancies are extremely rare. We report a case of distal critical limb ischaemia in a patient with peripheral vascular disease exacerbated by massive arteriovenous shunting due to tibial metastases from renal cell carcinoma.