Bladder perforation in a peritoneal dialysis patient.

The dysfunction of the catheter in peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a frequent complication. However, perforation of organs are rare, particularly that of the urinary bladder. This requires an early diagnosis and prompt treatment of patients. We report here the case of a 38-year-old woman having end-stage renal disease due to autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease treated by PD since November 2000. Three years later, she was treated for Staphylococcal peritonitis. Four months later, she presented with a severe urge to urinate at the time of the fluid exchanges. The biochemical analysis of the fluid from the bladder showed that it was dialysis fluid. Injection of contrast through the catheter demonstrated the presence of a fistula between the bladder and the peritoneal cavity. She underwent cystoscopic closure of the fistulous tract and the PD catheter was removed. Subsequently, the patient was treated by hemodialysis. One month later, a second catheter was implanted surgically after confirming the closure of the fistula. Ten days later, she presented with pain at the catheter site and along the tunnel, which was found to be swollen along its track. The injection of contrast produced swelling of the subcutaneous tunnel but without extravasation of the dye. PD was withdrawn and the patient was put back on hemodialysis. Bladder fistula is a rare complication in PD and diagnosis should be suspected when patient complains of an urge to pass urine during the exchanges, which can be confirmed by contrast study showing presence of dye in the bladder. PD may be possible after the closure of the fistula, but recurrence may occur.

Short- and long-term outcomes of living donors in Tunisia: a retrospective study.

Despite initiatives to increase cadaveric donation, there is still a shortfall in donor organs. Kidneys from living donors now makes a significant contribution to increasing the number of organs available for transplantation in Tunisia. We performed a retrospective study of 405 kidney transplantations, including 321 (79.3%) from living donors performed from June 1986 to December 2007. We obtained information on only 162 (50.4%), namely, 64 men (39.5%) and 98 women (60.5%), whose mean age at the time of donation was 42.3 ± 12.2 years. Twelve (8.22%) perioperative complications occurred: wound infections (n = 4), pneumothorax (n = 4), phlebitis (n = 1), hematomas (n = 2), and urinary infection (n = 1). The mean follow-up period was 117.4 ± 74.4 months. Hypertension occurred in 42 donors (25.9%) with mean values of 134 ± 20 for systolic and 79 ± 10 for diastolic blood pressure. Twelve donors (7.4%) developed proteinuria (mean proteinuria, 0.08 ± 1.25 g/d). Renal insufficiency was found in 28 donors (19.44%), 2 of whom developed chronic renal failure requiring dialysis at intervals of 36 and 84 months. In both cases, we diagnosed a familial form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Two donors (1.2%) died within 10 years after kidney donation due to senility. The relatively favorable outcomes suggest that living-donor kidney transplantation is an acceptable approach, in view of the superior results it yields in recipients. However, efforts to increase the number of cadaveric donors in Tunisia should be made. It is also important to develop a registry of long-term kidney function after kidney donation.

Kidney transplantation during autoimmune diseases.

Herein, we report the results of kidney transplantation in 9 of 376 patients who underwent kidney transplantation at our center between 1986 and 2007 because of chronic renal failure associated with autoimmune disease. Four of the 9 patients had systemic lupus erythematosus, 3 had Wegener granulomatosis, and 2 had Goodpasture syndrome. Six patients received organs from living donors, and 3 received cadaver organs. Infections were frequent and included cytomegalovirus and urinary tract infection in most cases. There was no difference in occurrence of metabolic and cardiovascular complications in our study patients compared with other transplant recipients. Incidence of allograft loss (n = 1) was similar to that in our entire transplantation population, with an overall rate of 2.9%. We conclude that kidney transplantation is a reasonable therapeutic option in patients with autoimmune disease with end-stage renal disease because of good graft and patient survival compared with kidney recipients without autoimmune diseases.

Do smoking and polymorphisms in xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes affect the histological stage and grade of bladder tumors?

Cigarette smoking and genetic susceptibility are the two factors most closely associated with bladder cancer development. This study sought to determine the effect of smoking and genetic polymorphisms in xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes on the histological stage and grade of bladder tumors in Tunisian patients. A total of 97 patients with urothelial cell carcinomas were examined with respect to smoking status, NAT2 (N-acetyltransferase 2), GSTM1 and GSTT1 (glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 and teta 1) genotypes distribution. Our data have reported that tobacco; NAT2, GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes were not associated with bladder tumor stage. When we studied the superficial bladder tumor group, we have shown that in smokers tobacco was associated with the development of low-grade tumors. Conversely, non-smoker patients carrying altered NAT2 genotypes were with a 3.67-fold increased risk of developing superficial high-grade tumors (P = 0.02; RR = 3.67; 95% CI: [1.40-9.62]).

[Primary bilateral adrenal T-cell lymphoma. A case report rarer than B-cell lymphoma]. / Lymphome surrénalien primitif bilatéral de phénotype T. Un cas clinique beaucoup plus rare que le lymphome B.

Primary adrenal lymphoma is a rare condition. Only 70 cases were described in the literature. Adrenal lymphoma is often bilateral and in most of the cases of B-cell type. T-cell lymphoma is exceptional. The prognosis is bad and patient can die early because of acute adrenal insufficiency. We report a case of a 70-year-old man who was admitted for acute adrenal insufficiency due to primary bilateral adrenal T-cell lymphoma. He had corticotherapy and surgical exploration for intra-abdominal sepsis. He died because of multivisceral deficiency. Clinical features and imaging are not specific. (18)F-FDG PET Scan is an excellent mean to detect malignant tumor of adrenal gland. Percutaneous needle biopsy is useful to determine histology. The standard treatment is chemotherapy.