Renal matrix stones in an emphysematous pyelonephritis

A 74-year-old-woman was referred to our hospital for further examination. Her chief complaint had been a high-grade fever, but she was seen at our hospital without fever. Plain fi lm of kidney, ureter and bladder drip infusion pyelography and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a gas shadow surrounding calcifications in the right renal pelvis. We diagnosed right emphysematous pyelonephritis. Since changes in the CT findings were not remarkable for 2 weeks, we performed laparoscopic right nephrectomy, even though her condition had not worsened. The renal pelvis contained brownish and clayish matter. We report here this rare case of renal matrix stones.     

Emphysematous pyelonephritis and renal amoebiasis in a patient with diabetes mellitus

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is an uncommon and life-threatening infection of the kidney that is characterized by gas formation within or around the kidney and is associated with diabetes mellitus and urinary tract infection. Amoebiasis is a protozoal infection caused by Entamoeba histolytica. In its invasive forms, the disease is characterized by visceral abscess formations. We present a case of concomitant emphysematous pyelonephritis and renal amoebiasis in a 42-year-old female with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. The patient did not respond well to initial supportive treatment and antibiotherapy. Therefore, nephrectomy was performed. She did extremely well after the operation and was discharged with antidiabetics and antibiotics.     

Emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft: successful treatment with percutaneous drainage and nephrostomy

Emphysematous pyelonephritis in renal transplant allograft occurs rarely. This is a case report on a 55-year-old man who had renal transplantation in 1983 and developed post-transplant diabetes mellitus in 1984. This patient suffered from fever and right low abdominal pain and was subsequently diagnosed as emphysematous pyelonephritis by computerized tomography. He was successfully treated with percutaneous drainage, percutaneous nephrostomy and parenteral antibiotics. Although the management of emphysematous pyelonephritis has been a subject of controversy, we recommend consideration of renal preservation in patients with few risk factors, especially in those patients presenting with chronic renal insufficiency, solitary kidney and transplant allograft.     

经皮肾穿刺造瘘术治疗气肿性肾孟肾炎10例

目的介绍经皮肾穿刺造瘘术治疗气肿性肾盂肾炎的手术方法及临床效果。方法对10例气肿性肾盂肾炎患者在连续硬膜外麻醉下实施经皮肾穿刺造瘘术治疗。其中左肾8例,右肾2例。其中4例因肾周积气部位较多放置2根造瘘管引流。术后定期随访6个月到3年。结果 10例患者手术均成功完成,联合内科治疗,其中8例患者生存,2例死亡,8例存活患者术后6个月后静脉肾盂造影和肾功能检查肾功能基本正常。结论气肿性肾盂肾炎成功治疗的关键是手术引流,同时积极控制血糖和广谱抗生素的应用。经皮肾穿刺造瘘术和传统肾脏切除术相比创伤小,有利于更好地保存肾脏功能,为气肿性肾盂肾炎的治疗提供了更好的选择。     

Predictive factors for mortality and need for nephrectomy in patients with emphysematous pyelonephritis

Study Type – Therapy (case series)
Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the factors predicting the mortality and need for nephrectomy in patients with emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Clinical features, laboratory variables, imaging studies, management strategy and the final outcomes were analysed in 39 consecutive patients with EPN. The mean (sd ) age was 57 (7.2) years and the male to female ratio was 2:11. The baseline risk factors (clinical, laboratory and radiological) were compared among three groups; group 1, survived with renal salvage (26); group 2, survived after nephrectomy (eight); and group 3, died (five).

RESULTS

The overall survival rate was 87% (34/39) and the kidney was salvaged in 67% (26) patients at a median follow‐up of 18 months. Altered mental status, thrombocytopenia, renal failure and severe hyponatremia at presentation were significantly associated with mortality rate. There was no significant difference in final outcome based on radiological classification. Extensive renal parenchymal destruction of >50% (based on computed tomography) significantly predicted the need for nephrectomy (P < 0.001) and death (P = 0.02). Early (<1 week) nephrectomy resulted in a higher mortality rate (three of seven patients) than initial conservative management. There were no deaths in selected patients who received antibiotics alone or had delayed nephrectomy (four patients each). Of 24 patients who had minimally invasive treatment alone, two (8%) died. Minimally invasive treatment resulted in high renal salvage (22/24, 92%).

CONCLUSION

Altered mental status, thrombocytopenia, renal failure and severe hyponatremia at presentation are associated with higher mortality rates, whereas extensive renal parenchymal destruction is associated with a need for nephrectomy. Early nephrectomy is associated with higher mortality rates than is initial conservative management.     

Clinicopathological study of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)-associated pyelonephritis in renal transplantation

Abstract:  We retrospectively studied the occurrence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)-associated pyelonephritis using renal biopsies obtained from the transplanted kidneys, and correlated the histological changes with clinical parameters. Out of a total of 131 renal biopsies performed between 1990 and 2001 on renal transplant patients at the department of Urology of Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 12 patients showed pyuria more than twice in a single year. Seven of these 12 patients were available for determining VUR by voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). Cystoureterography demonstrated VUR in three of seven studied patients with pyuria. A histopathological examination revealed dilatation of both proximal and distal tubules in renal biopsies of transplant patients with VUR, compared to renal biopsies of transplant patients without VUR, or non-transplanted patients with thin membrane disease. One of the patients with VUR showed advanced features of chronic pyelonephritis in four consecutive biopsies at different time points, suggesting a late stage of reflux nephropathy in the transplanted kidney. We conclude from our study that the occurrence of VUR-related pyelonephritis may be one of the important long-term complications in the survival of renal allografts.     

Successful Medical Treatment of Emphysematous Pyelonephritis in a Renal Allograft Recipient

Emphysematous pyelonephritis in renal allograft recipients is a rare but serious complication. The management of this entity is a subject of controversy in live related donor programs where the absence of a second donor is a key factor influencing surgical removal of the graft. We present a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient managed successfully with medical therapy alone.     

Scrotal extension of emphysematous pyelonephritis

We report an extensive form of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) in the right kidney extending from the anterior abdominal wall to the scrotum in a patient with renal calculi with obstructive uropathy and describe the progression route of infection from retroperitoneum to scrotum. Such an extensive occurrence of EPN is very rare. The patient succumbed after 48 h despite aggressive treatment.     

Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis caused by Candida infection

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare, often severe infection of one or both kidneys that is most often caused by bacterial infection. Surgical intervention is often necessary. We describe a case of a diabetic patient with bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis caused by Candida infection that was treated conservatively. Renal function recovered almost completely in spite of giving a potential nephrotoxic drug for 6 weeks.     

Conservative management of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a horseshoe kidney

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute infection of the kidney, characterized by the presence of gas in the renal parenchyma and collecting system. Conservative management is rarely effective to treat this severe infection and the accepted treatment consists of early nephrectomy. Herein, we report a case of EPN in a horseshoe kidney, presented in a 67-year-old, diabetic woman. A percutaneous drainage of the kidney, under computed tomography control, was realized in emergency to manage her sepsis. A pelvic ureteral calculus was found to be responsible for the urinary obstruction and the infection. It was extracted endoscopically, three weeks later and the evolution was uneventful.     

Successful medical treatment of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient

Emphysematous pyelonephritis in renal allograft recipients is a rare but serious complication. The management of this entity is a subject of controversy in live related donor programs where the absence of a second donor is a key factor influencing surgical removal of the graft. We present a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient managed successfully with medical therapy alone.     

Emphysematous pyelonephritis

Study Type – Therapy (case series)
Level of Evidence 4 What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a severe necrotizing infection of the renal parenchyma. The clinical course of EPN can be severe and life‐threatening if not recognized and treated promptly. Most of the information has been from case reports, a few large series have also been reported. Using an evidence‐based approach, this review describes the pathogenesis, classification, complications, and management of EPN. Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute severe necrotizing infection of the renal parenchyma and its surrounding tissues that results in the presence of gas in the renal parenchyma, collecting system, or perinephric tissue. The cause for mortality in EPN is primarily due to septic complications. Up to 95% of the cases with EPN have underlying uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. The risk of developing EPN secondary to a urinary tract obstruction is about 25–40%. There are three classifications of EPN based on radiological findings. Acute renal failure, microscopic or macroscopic haematuria, severe proteinuria are other positive findings in EPN. Escherichia coli is the most common causative pathogen with the organism isolated on urine or pus cultures in nearly 70% of the reported cases. A plain radiograph shows an abnormal gas shadow in the renal bed raising the suspicion whereas an ultrasound scan or computed tomography (CT) will confirm the presence of intra‐renal gas thus supporting the diagnosis of EPN. Gas may extend beyond the site of inflammation to the sub capsular, perinephric and pararenal spaces. In some cases, gas was found to be extending into the scrotal sac and spermatic cord. Subsequent case studies have shown patients being successfully treated with PCD when used in addition to medical management, with significant reduction in the morality rates. PCD should be performed on patients who have localized areas of gas and functioning renal tissue is present. The treatment strategies include MM alone, PCD plus MM, MM plus emergency nephrectomy, and PCD plus MM plus emergency nephrectomy. In small proportion of patients managed with MM and PCD, subsequent nephrectomy will be required and in these patients the reported mortality is 6.6% Nephrectomy in patients with EPN can be simple, radical or laparoscopic.     

Emphysematous pyelonephritis caused by Bacteroides fragilis

Case A 50-year-old male presented with fever and anorexia of 2 days’duration and a 3-week history of abdominal fullness. Two yearsearlier, he had left-sided acute pyelonephritis, incompleteduplicated ureters and a ureteral stone. The stone was removed.He also had hypertension, gout,     

Emphysematous Pyelonephritis: A Case Report Series of Four Patients with Review of Literature

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute necrotizing infection with gas presence in the kidney, perinephric space, and/or urinary collecting system that carries a bad prognosis. Some clinical conditions predispose to this entity, such as diabetes mellitus, urinary tract obstruction, and immune-incompetence. Immediate resuscitation, broad-spectrum antibiotics, percutaneous and surgical drainage, and emergent and delayed nephrectomy are therapeutic options that should be applied in a timely fashion. We report our experience of four patients with EPN. Two of the patients were kidney transplant recipients, one patient had bilateral urolithiasis, and one patient was an elderly patient with debilitated general condition and an abdominal mass that could not be defined. Late transplant nephrectomy was performed in one patient, and three patients were treated conservatively. Three patients died, including the patient who had transplant nephrectomy. One patient who presented with lithiasis showed a remarkable recovery with conservative management. The bacteria involved were E. Coli and a resistant Klebsiella. We conclude that EPN is a life-threatening condition that carries a bad prognosis. Early diagnosis is essential for a positive outcome. Therapeutic measures should be applied immediately after diagnosis. An aggressive approach including nephrectomy may be emergently required.