ABSTRACT
Although oral sodium phosphate, a colonic cleasing agent for colonoscopy, had been usually known to be safe, several cases have been reported on the development of acute renal failure(ARF) after the administration of this agent. Many authors suggested that the pathogenesis of ARF developed after sodium phosphate administration is related with hyperphosphatemia, which caused ARF by the deposition of phosphate and/or calcium in renal tubule or interstitium, or by the direct toxicity to renal tubular cells. Elderly patients or the patients with dehydration, underlying cardiovascular, renal, or hepatic disease predispose the development of adverse effects of sodium phosphate, such as water and electrolyte imbalance, especially hyperphosphatemia which may ultimately lead to ARF. We described here a case of acute renal failure associated with hyperphosphatemia after the administration of sodium phosphate. A review of the literatures is presented.