Emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Siti Nor Asmah MOHAMAD HAIDER ALI ¹ , Ezam EMRAN ²,  Vui Heng CHONG ²

¹ School of Medicine, Queensland University, Australia, ² Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infection is very common and in most cases is self limiting even without treatment. However, in some cases, the infection may progress and leads to serious complication requiring admission and treatment. Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare but serious complication of urinary tract infection. The symptoms are similar to those seen in pyelonephritis and without radiological imaging; the diagnosis can be missed with serious consequence. In severe cases, nephrectomy may be indicated. We report a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a previously well obese 28 year old lady who was successfully managed with intravenous antibiotic. Her underlying risk factor was undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: Abscess, gas forming abscess, renal abscess, pyelonephritis

Correspondence: CHONG VH. Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan BA 1710, Brunei Darussalam.

E mail: chongvuih@yahoo.co.uk

Brunei Int Med J. 2011; 7 (2): 97-100