Unconventional strategies in the battle of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis.

A 24-year-old male presented with classic features of the nephrotic syndrome. An initial renal biopsy revealed minimal change disease and thereafter, a second biopsy showed features of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. There was no response to conventional immunosuppression, and the patient had to be given rituximab; in spite of this, he went on to develop end-stage renal disease. He continued to have heavy proteinuria leading to severe hypoalbuminemia, thrombosis, infections, and malnutrition, placing the patient in a life-threatening situation. Bilateral renal ablation with embolization of both kidneys with coiling was done at one setting, which finally resolved the proteinuria in the patient. He then underwent a living-related renal transplant, developing recurrence immediately post-transplant. He was again given rituximab along with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. There was no response to rituximab, and the patient underwent plasmapheresis, which leads to complete remission. An arteriovenous fistula was created post-transplant to facilitate regular plasmapheresis.

Acute kidney injury: A rare cause.

We present a young lady who consumed hair dye, which contained paraphenylene diamine (PPD), as a means of deliberate self-harm. This resulted in severe angio-neurotic edema for which she had to be ventilated, and thereafter developed rhabdomyolysis leading to acute kidney injury (AKI). The unusual aspect was that the patient continued to have flaccid quadriparesis and inability to regain kidney function. Renal biopsy performed 10 weeks after the dye consumption revealed severe acute tubular necrosis with myoglobin pigment casts. This suggests that PPD has a long-term effect leading to ongoing myoglobinuria, causing flaccid paralysis to persist and preventing the recovery of AKI. In such instances, timely treatment to prevent AKI in the form alkalinization of urine should be initiated promptly. Secondly, because PPD is a nondialyzable toxin, and its long-term effect necessitates its speedy removal, hemoperfusion might be helpful and is worth considering.

Delayed Kounis syndrome and acute renal failure after wasp sting.

A fifty-seven year old gentleman developed hemolysis induced oliguric acute renal failure following multiple wasp stings. Patient was hemodynamically stable on dialytic support. Twelve days later, although the patient was recovering from renal failure, he developed sudden onset of tachyarrythmias and echocardiography demonstrated a Takotsubo type of cardiomyopathy. He was managed with amiodarone and hemodialysis. After two more episodes of deterioration, the patient made full recovery from both the renal and cardiac toxicity. A case of delayed Kounis syndrome associated with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the setting of acute renal failure is described. The possible mechanism of such a presentation is discussed.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome posttransplantation: a case report of possible association with cerebrospinal fluid leak after epidural catheterization.

We have described a case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) that developed early in the course of a renal transplant recipient. The patient was on cyclosporine and also had a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak due to migration of an epidural catheter. The possibilities of PRES being associated with administration of cyclosporine and development of a CSF leak are discussed.

To bite the bullet of early graft nephrectomy: a case report.

Isolated renal allograft mucormycosis is rare. Only 8 cases have been reported to date, with patient survival in only 3. We recently encountered a case. The presentation was fever and graft dysfunction, which were unresponsive to extended antibiotic treatment and supportive care. It was only after three graft biopsies that mucormycosis was diagnosed and amphotericin B started. Urgent graft nephrectomy was performed, but the patient died of septicemia. In retrospect, we believe that early institution of amphotericin B and graft nephrectomy are needed for patient salvage in this difficult clinical situation.

Reversible segmental portal hypertension--an unusual presentation of abdominal tuberculosis in a renal transplant recipient.

Infections are the commonest cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. In India, tuberculosis is a one such common infection in these patients and presents with protean manifestations. We report here a case of pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) and segmental portal hypertension in a renal transplant recipient. Search for the cause of portal hypertension revealed abdominal tubercular lymphadenitis. Treatment with anti-tubercular therapy caused regression of segmental portal hypertension.