Emphysematous pyelonephritis: 7 case studies.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare, life-threatening necrotizing infect ion of the renal parenchyma and peri-renal tissues. The authors report 7 ca ses of emphysematous pyelonephritis diagnosed between 1987 and 1998 at the Internal Medicine Service of the Mongi Slim Hospital, La Marsa, Tunisia, an d at the Urology Service of the Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. T he sex ratio was 1 man for 6 women. All the patients suffered from diabetes mellitus. The causative organisms were Gram negative bacilli. Therapy asso ciated medical and surgical treatment. Four patients had undergone a nephre ctomy. One patient needed percutaneous drainage. In I patient nephrectomy w as performed after an initial surgical drainage. Two of the 7 patients died . (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.