Acute kidney injury due to urinary tract obstruction invariably suggests lower urinary tract obstruction or bilateral ureteric obstruction since obstruction of a single kidney while the contralateral kidney is normal and not obstructed would not cause a perceptible rise in creatinine. Assuming a total body volume of 42 L, 70 kg male that generates approximately 1400 mg of creatinine daily (20 mg/kg/day) who has complete urinary tract obstruction would experience a 3.33 mg/dL per day increase in serum creatinine. Thus, for an individual who had prior normal renal function and who presents with a creatinine of 30 mg/dL, one could surmise that the obstructive pathology had lasted at least 10 days. However, the rise in serum creatinine is a poor marker of renal injury and subsequent prognosis. Urinary tract obstruction leading to AKI can be due to a variety of causes, and its management is tailored to the underlying etiology. This case series describes the varied clinical course of four patients at our center who experienced AKI from atypical causes of obstructive uropathy. Current and future diagnostic modalities and caveats in the treatment of this disease entity are also discussed.

Ernie Yap

Moro Salifu

Tahir Ahmad

A. Sanusi

Anthony Joseph

Mary Mallappallil

Atypical Causes of Urinary Tract Obstruction

Buried peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters are typically inserted several weeks or months before the anticipated need for dialysis. Occasionally, renal function unexpectedly stabilizes after the surgery, and a patient may go years before the catheter is needed. We report a case of successful initiation of PD with a twenty-year-old buried catheter. We outline the steps needed to optimize the catheter function and review the benefits of the buried PD catheter.

Ankur Gupta

Susan Lavoie

Brian Blew

Mohan Biyani

Brendan B. McCormick

Successful Initiation of Dialysis with a 20-Year-Old Buried Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter: Case Report and Literature Review

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a condition characterized by chronic inflammatory and fibrotic changes in the retroperitoneum that can lead to serious complications including kidney failure, mesenteric and limb ischemia, and deep venous thrombosis among others. Affected individuals may present with nonspecific symptomology that would require a high clinical index of suspicion for prompt diagnosis. We herein discuss a case of a young African-American man with recurrent deep venous thrombosis who presents with a 4-week history of constant aching pain of abdomen and back and kidney failure. Initial noncontrast computed tomogram (CT) only revealed mild bilateral hydroureteronephrosis with inflammatory changes but without obvious mass or lymphadenopathy. At the insistence of the renal consulting team to rule out RPF, a CT-urogram was performed which revealed an infiltrative mass encasing the aorta, inferior vena cava, and common iliac vessels. Laparoscopic biopsy revealed dense fibroadipose tissue, lymphocytic aggregates, focal scattered IgG4-positive plasma cells, and fibrin deposition. Patient underwent bilateral nephrostomy placement and empirical corticosteroid therapy with resolution of kidney failure. Our case illustrates a classic presentation of RPF with relatively benign findings on noncontrast CT that could have been missed if clinicians did not keep a high index of suspicion for the condition.

Thuan V. Nguyen

Nada M. Bader

Harpreet Sidhu

Caprice Cadacio

Susana M. Mendoza

Phuong Thu T. Pham

Phuong Chi T. Pham

Acute Kidney Failure in a Young African American Male

Nephrotic syndrome is common in immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis and successful therapy may pose a challenge. We report the case of a 63-year-old patient with severe nephrotic syndrome due to primary renal AL-amyloidosis with well-preserved renal function at first presentation. Therapy with high dose steroids, loop diuretics, and ACE-inhibitors did not affect his proteinuria and he was seriously disabled because of symptomatic orthostatic hypotension and anasarca. With the patient&#x2019;s informed consent, medical nephrectomy was tried with nonsteroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclosporine, and aminoglycosides, with significant deterioration of his renal function, but without relevant effect on his proteinuria. Despite adequate anticoagulation life threatening thrombotic and bleeding complications occurred. Total renal ablation was finally achieved using an Amplatzer vascular plug Typ IV (AVP 4) with a self-expanding Nitinol mesh design, which was placed in both main renal arteries in the same intervention. The patient became completely anuric, protein loss stopped, and serum albumin slowly rose to normal levels. The patient&#x2019;s clinical condition dramatically improved and he regained his full mobility at the price of a lifelong renal replacement therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported usage of such a vascular occluder in the setting of refractory nephrotic syndrome with normal kidney function at the time of first presentation.

I. Spozio Z&#xfc;st

H. R. R&#xe4;z

F. Burkhalter

Radiologically Guided Renal Artery Embolization with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug as a Rescue Therapy for Refractory Nephrotic Syndrome in AL-Amyloidosis

Hyperkalemia, a potential life threating condition, is a commonly encountered problem in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Patiromer acetate, a nonabsorbable cation exchange polymer, is a gastrointestinal agent for chronic therapy in patients with persistent hyperkalemia. Patiromer is generally well tolerated in patients; common side effects are gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting. Hypercalcemia, although a theoretical possibility, has not been reported in any major clinical trials. We present a case of hypercalcemia associated with patiromer acetate used for treatment of hyperkalemia in a stage IV CKD patient. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of hypercalcemia while taking patiromer.

Shreeyukta Bhattarai

Stephen Pupillo

Gulshan Man Singh Dangol

Erdal Sarac

Patiromer Acetate Induced Hypercalcemia: An Unreported Adverse Effect

Acute hyperuricemia most commonly occurs in patients who experience tumor lysis syndrome. Hyperuricemia along with other electrolyte abnormalities like hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, and hyperphosphatemia leads to acute kidney injury (AKI) due to acute uric acid nephropathy which is associated with significant morbidity. High risk patients are thus closely monitored for signs of these laboratory abnormalities. Extreme exercise, rhabdomyolysis, and seizures are rare causes of acute hyperuricemia. Serum uric acid level is not routinely monitored as a part of postictal labs. We report an unusual case of AKI in a young male with recurrent seizures and no associated rhabdomyolysis who was found to have acute uric acid nephropathy. Timely administration of Rasburicase prevented the need for dialysis in this patient and led to complete renal recovery. This case illustrates the importance of doing a urine microscopy and checking uric acid level in patients with recurrent seizures who develop unexplainable AKI, as timely management helps improve outcome. We also briefly review the pathophysiology of seizure related hyperuricemia and acute uric acid nephropathy.

Chinmay Patel

Caitlin P. Wilson

Naveed Ahmed

Yousef Hattab

Acute Uric Acid Nephropathy following Epileptic Seizures: Case Report and Review

Immune-checkpoint-inhibitors (ICPIs) represent a novel class of immunotherapy against several malignancies. These agents are associated with several &#x201c;immune-mediated&#x201d; adverse effects, but the reported renal toxicity of ICPIs is less well defined. We present the case of a 60-year-old man with a history of non-small cell lung cancer, who developed acute kidney injury (AKI) approximately 3.5 months after initiation of immunotherapy with nivolumab. Urinalysis revealed sterile pyuria, without microscopic hematuria or proteinuria. Immunological examination was negative. A renal biopsy showed severe interstitial inflammatory infiltration of T-cells, monocytes, and eosinophils without interstitial granulomas and normal appearance of glomeruli, indicating acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) as the cause of AKI. After a short-term course of corticosteroids and permanent nivolumab discontinuation, partial recovery of renal function was noted. AIN is a rare adverse effect of ICPIs that mandates the close monitoring of renal function in patients under immunotherapy with these agents.

Panagiotis I. Georgianos

Vasilios Vaios

Eleni Leontaridou

Georgia Karayannopoulou

Triantafyllia Koletsa

Athanasios Sioulis

Elias V. Balaskas

Pantelis E. Zebekakis

Acute Interstitial Nephritis in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer under Immunotherapy with Nivolumab

Renal involvement is associated with a greater morbidity and mortality in Fabry disease. Pathological albuminuria, the first Fabry nephropathy clinical manifestation, can occur from early childhood, although histological lesions such as tubulo-interstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis are present or may precede the onset of pathological albuminuria. In renal cells, exposure to Lyso-Gb3 is correlated with increased expression of Transforming Growth Factor-&#x3b2;eta (TGF-&#x3b2;). miR-21, miR-192, and miR-433 that promote fibrosis are activated by TGF-&#x3b2;, and miR-29 and miR-200 that suppress fibrosis are inhibited by TGF-&#x3b2;. A 23-year-old male was diagnosed with FD. &#x3b1;GalA decreased enzyme activity: 0.1&#x2009;nmol/hour/liter; genotype: [c.317T&#x3e;G (p.L106R)]; GFR: 104.4&#x2009;mL/min/m2; urinary albumin excretion: 6.00&#x2009;mg/day; plasma Lyso-Gb3: 124.5&#x2009;nmol/L. A decrease urinary excretion of miR-29 and miR-200 was found (p &#x3c;0.005) compared to controls. In addition to its usefulness as a phenotype marker, Lyso-Gb3 has been proposed as an indicator of therapeutic response. We detect an association of high Lyso-Gb3 plasma values with decreased urinary excretion of miRNAs with known antifibrotic effect (miR-29 and miR-200). Although the present work is a case report, it could be hypothesized that one of the harmful Lyso-Gb3 effects could be the miRNAs regulation through changes in TGF-&#x3b2; expression.

Sebasti&#xe1;n Jaurretche

Germ&#xe1;n R. Perez

Graciela Venera

High Lyso-Gb3 Plasma Levels Associated with Decreased miR-29 and miR-200 Urinary Excretion in Young Non-Albuminuric Male Patient with Classic Fabry Disease

A 67-year-old woman presented to the hospital with complaints of abdominal pain. Physical exam was significant for signs of severe dehydration, mild epigastric tenderness and multiple non-tender hard nodules over her arms and thighs. Incidental finding of severe hypercalcemia led to negative workups for hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D intoxication, and malignancy. However, elevated levels of 1,25-hydroxy vitamin D raised the possibility of granulomatous diseases. Imaging and patient report revealed silicone-induced foreign body granulomatous reaction as the cause of hypercalcemia. Use of silicone for cosmetic enhancement of body contours can result in siliconomas, severe hypercalcemia, and complications. Treatment is unestablished for this condition. Increasing prevalence of cosmetic enhancement should prompt vigilance for this rare disease entity. Providers should counsel and educate individuals undergoing such procedures.

Hilmer Negrete

Silicone-Induced Granulomatous Reaction Causing Severe Hypercalcemia: Case Report and Literature Review

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Case Reports in Nephrology publishes case reports and case series focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of kidney diseases and associated disorders, including cancer. The journal also focuses on advances in transplantation techniques.

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Case Reports in Nephrology - Table of contents 2019

title

Case Reports in Nephrology publishes case reports and case series focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of kidney diseases and associated disorders, including cancer. The journal also focuses on advances in transplantation techniques.

Case Reports in Nephrology