GRANULOMATOUS INTERSTITIAL NEPHRITIS WITH ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE, A POTENTIAL COMPLICATION OF INTRAVESICAL BACILLUS-CALMETTE-GUERIN THERAPY

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin had proved to be the most effect ive treatment of superficial bladder carcinoma. This therapy may induc e a renal failure of Variable severity, sometimes associated with mult iple organ failure. Renal prognosis of this complication is not well d efined. We report on a 68 year-old male patient who developed granulom atous hepatitis and acute tubulo-interstitial nephritis with mononucle ar infiltrates containing numerous epithelioid cells, following the th ird course of intravesical BCG. Eleven cases of renal impairment due t o intravesical BCG have been previously described, as part of a system ic disease in seven patients. The potential pathophysiological mechani sms of this rare complication are precised.