Successful Management of Acute Renal Artery Thromboembolism by Intra-arterial Thrombolytic Therapy with Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator

Acute renal artery thromboembolism (ARAT), a rare event in native kidneys, potentially result in severe renal injury if it is not appropriately managed. The optimal therapy still remains controversial today even though various methods of managements for ARTA were applied in these decades including surgical intervention and medical approach such as thrombolytic therapy. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) reveals a better bioavailability and lower incidence of adverse effects and it has been widely used to treat a number of clinical conditions but only very few cases have been reported where rt-PA was used to treat ARAT. We described a case of ARAT, which was successfully treated by the administration of rt-PA via intra-arterial infusion within a period of 60 min without residual renal impairment. It may be a useful choice for ARAT and renal infarction sufferers.     

Renal Transplantation for Chronic Renal Failure in Acute Porphyria

A woman with acute intermittent porphyria and a man with variegateporphyria developed chronic renal failure in middle age. Afterperiods on haemodialysis, both received successful cadavericrenal transplants. On the basis of animal porphyrinogenicitystudies prednisolone and azathioprine were used in preferenceto cyclosporin as immunosuppressive agents. Neither of the patientsshowed any evidence of activation of their porphyria during,or following, transplantation. The findings in these two patientsand a review of two previous reports indicate that acute porphyriais not a contraindication to renal transplantation.     

Renal artery occlusion in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Several vascular abnormalities have been reported in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Occlusion of the renal artery is uncommon in ADPKD and can be associated with hypertension. We report a 38-year-old woman with ADPKD and severe hypertension, abdominal magnetic resonance angiogram and arteriography revealed left renal artery total occlusion. A revascularization approach was not considered feasible and she was given conservative treatment. We review the literature and make some comments about renal artery occlusion in ADPKD. This association should be kept in mind in cases of ADPKD with severe or resistant hypertension.     

Scrub Typhus: A Frequently Overlooked Cause of Acute Renal Failure

Acute renal failure associated with scrub typhus infection is not rare as previously thought. The possibility of scrub typhus should be borne in mind when patients present with fever and varying degrees of acute renal failure, particularly if an eschar exists, along with a history of environmental exposure in an area like Taiwan, where scrub typhus is endemic. Prompt diagnosis and the use of appropriate antibiotics can rapidly alter the clinical course of the disease and prevent the development of serious or fatal complications. To illustrate the above point, this study reports 3 cases of scrub typhus associated with acute renal failure. They were seen at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in a 2-year interval. Case 1 was referred from district hospital with clinical features of multiple organ dysfunctions, including shock, fever, acute respiratory failure, acute renal failure, and acute hepatitis. Case 2 was admitted with the chief problems of shock, fever, acute renal failure, and DIC. Case 3 visited our outpatient clinic due to fever, maculopapular rash and acute renal failure. In all these patients, the diagnosis was confirmed using immunofluorescence techniques, which showed that Orientia tsutsugamushi had an IgM titer of 1:80 or greater. Notably, despite having varying degrees of acute renal deterioration, the patients responded very well to doxycycline therapy and recovered completely. Additionally, a total of 4 similar cases of scrub typhus associated with acute renal failure were reviewed from th past literature.     

Acute renal failure caused by unilateral renal artery thromboembolism.

Introduction Thromboembolic obstruction of major renal arteries is a rarebut serious clinical problem. A diagnosis is not usually establisheduntil irreversible renal parenchymal damage occurs. Emboli tothe major renal arteries are associated with cardiac diseasesand arrhythmia, among which atrial fibrillation is a major cause.The clinical manifestations of renal artery thromboembolismvary substantially, depending on whether the embolic occlusionaffects both renal arteries or the artery of a solitary kidney,or occurs in a single kidney with a contralateral functioningkidney. We describe here a case of chronic atrial fibrillationand congestive heart failure complicated with right renal arterythromboembolism and acute renal failure, which initially presentedas     

A Rare Case of Acute Renal Infarction Due to Atrial Fibrillation Mimicking Renal Colic

A 70-year-old patient with acute renal infarction due to chronic atrial fibrillation is presented. The clinical presentation of the patient was suggestive of renal colic. Computerized tomography was consistent with acute renal infarction and confirmed the diagnosis. After giving anticoagulation and antiarrhythmic treatment, she was discharged with clinical improvement. High clinical suspicion is necessary on an old patient who has thromboembolic risk factors with the complaint of abrupt-onset flank pain.     

Leiomyosarcoma of the Ovarian Vein: An Unusual Cause of Severe Abdominal and Flank Pain

Leiomyosarcoma arising from the ovarian vein is extremely rare: only one case was found in the literature. We report a case in a sixty-one-year-old woman who had unexplained attacks of pain in her left lower abdomen and flank for two years.     

Acute Renal Failure Due to Candida tropicalis Obstruction: An Overview

Acute renal failure (ARF) due to infection of urinary tract is reported in the literature. ARF due to Candida tropicalis obstruction is extremely rate. In this article, the author summarized the clinical characteristics of ARF due to Candida tropicalis obstruction.     

An Unusual Cause of Renomegaly and Renal Insufficiency: A Case Report of Renal Involvement in Common Variable Immunodeficiency disease

Common variable immunodeficiency disease (CVID) represents a heterogeneous group of primary hypogammaglobulinemias of unknown etiology, characterized by decreased serum immunoglobulin levels and recurrent bacterial infections and is often accompanied by autoimmune disease. Renal involvement is rare in CVID, despite widespread involvement of other organ systems. We describe a 21-year-old girl who presented with recurrent infections, hepatosplenomegaly, renomegaly, and renal insufficiency. Renal biopsy revealed a remarkable diffused interstitial infiltration and severe degenerative tubular lesions. Interstitial infiltration consisted mainly of CD8⁺ T cells and CD68⁺ macrophages with less CD4⁺ T and rare B cells. For the cases with recurrent infections, multiple organomegaly, and renal insufficiency, clinicians should consider to exclude CVID, so as to make the timely diagnosis and appropriate management.     

Management of acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion

Background : This review examines the surgical management of acute superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion and the impact of interventional radiology techniques. Methods : Eight consecutive patients with SMA occlusion were treated at the Lismore Base Hospital, Lismore, NSW, Australia, from 1996 through to 2001 and of these, one patient was managed successfully with catheter‐directed lytic therapy. The study group included five male and three female patients with a mean age of 71.3 (range 57–88) years. The records of these patients were reviewed to determine demographic characteristics, clinical features, predisposing factors and the duration of symptoms before intervention, management details and final outcome. Results : Embolic phenomena due to atrial fibrillation were the most frequently identifiable cause of acute SMA occlusion, present in six of eight patients. Seven patients were managed with open surgery in the first instance and of these, four died. Three patients remain alive and well at a mean 2.8 years follow‐up. Patient number eight developed acute SMA occlusion from embolism secondary to atrial fibrillation and was managed initially with SMA urokinase thrombolysis. This patient’s pain was relieved 1 h after initiation of the procedure. Delayed films after 18 h from initiation of thrombolysis demonstrated re‐opening of all the ileo‐colic branches and at 6 weeks’ follow‐up the patient remains well with normal bowel function. Conclusions : There is a role for selective SMA cannulation and urokinase thrombolysis in the management of patients with acute SMA thrombosis.     

CD44分子在肾移植患者急性排斥反应肾组织中的表达及意义

目的:探讨CD44分子与肾移植急性排斥反应的关系。方法:回顾分析2005年7月～2009年5月间肾移植术后穿刺病理活检证实为急性排斥反应患者28例的CD44在移植肾组织中的表达。结果:28例急性排斥反应肾组织中有25例CD44呈阳性表达,阳性率为89.29%;10例慢性排斥反应肾组织中有3例阳性表达,阳性率为30%;30例正常肾脏组织中5例CD44分子的阳性表达,阳性率为16.7%;两两比较,结果差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:CD44与其与配体的相互作用在移植肾急性排斥反应中可能起到重要作用,CD44分子有可能成为一个特异性和敏感性都较好的早期诊断急性排斥的预测因子。     

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Small Bowel Mesentery: An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain and Uveitis

Introduction  

An inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the small bowel mesentery with diffuse immunohistochemical staining for the anaplastic lymphoma kinase 1 gene is reported in a patient who presented with abdominal pain and uveitis.     

Mortality in Elderly Patients with Acute Renal Failure

In a retrospective study, we identified 55 elderly patients with acute renal failure (ARF) admitted to our hospital during an 8-year period from 1985 to 1993. Information about the etiology, complications, laboratory data, and treatment course were obtained from the clinical history. Of the 200 patients with ARF admitted to the hospital during this period, 28% were patients more than 60 years old (41 male and 14 female) with an average age of 68.5 ± 7 years. The main causes of ARF were sepsis, volume depletion, low cardiac output, arterial hypotension, nephrotoxicity by antibiotics, and obstructive uropathy. The global mortality of elderly patients with ARF was 53%. The mortality rate of the different types of the ARF were: prerenal 35%, intrinsic 64% (oliguric 76%, nonoliguric 50%), and postrenal 40%. Mortality as a result of sepsis occurred in 18 patients (62%), by cardiovascular disease in 4 patients (13%), by acute respiratory failure in 2 patients (7%), and by other causes in 5 patients (18%). In the cases of sepsis, Pseudomonas was detected in 7 cases (39%), Escherichia coli in 2 cases (11%), Gram-negative nonspecific in 3 cases (17%), Klebsiella in 1 case (5%), and in 5 cases (16%), the hemoculture was negative. The patient survival rate was 47% (26 of 55 patients). Of these patients, 19 recovered their normal renal function (73%), but 7 patients remained with renal failure (27%). In conclusion, the global mortality in the elderly patients without considering the types of ARF was 53%. The oliguric form had the highest mortality rate with 76%. The main causes for mortality were sepsis with 62%, cardiovascular disease with 13%, and other causes 18%.     

Fetus-in-Fetu: An Unusual Cause for Abdominal Mass in Infancy

Fetus-in-fetu is an unusual cause of retroperitoneal abdominal mass in infants, which most likely arises from inclusion of a monozygotic, diamniotic twin. This entity is distinguished from teratoma by its embryological origin, its unusual location in the retroperitoneal space, its invariable benignity, and by the presence of vertebral organization with limb buds and well-developed organ systems. Diagnosis is made radiographically by the finding of a diminutive vertebral column on a plain abdominal film. The treatment of choice is total excision with special attention being given to the fetus' blood supply which may be directly from the host's superior mesenteric vessels. A well-documented example of this unusual entity that occurred in a six-week old infant male is presented.