A rare neurological presentation of emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute necrotizing infection of the kidney with features of air formation in the pelvicalyceal system, renal parenchyma, and surrounding structures. Although septic embolization has been reported to occur in distant organs, air pockets occurring intracranially leading to neurological manifestations in EPN have not been reported in the literature. We present a case report of a patient with EPN showing air pockets in renal parenchyma, pelvicalyceal system, renal vein, inferior vena cava, and multiple intracranial venous sinuses, presenting predominantly with neurological symptoms. This patient was aggressively managed with antibiotics, ureteral stenting, and drainage of the right kidney.

Newer variants of retroaortic left renal vein.

The left renal vein (LRV) passing behind the abdominal aorta is termed as a retroaortic LRV (RLRV) and it is a relatively uncommon condition. Since the left kidney is preferred in the setting of live donor kidney transplantation, urologists must be familiar with the anomalies of the LRV. There are four variants of RLRV mentioned in the literature. However, we came across two newer variants of RLRV in two donors for renal transplantation. Both donors underwent successful left donor nephrectomy.

A rare case of small cell neuroendocrine tumor of the urinary bladder.

Small cell neuroendocrine tumor of the bladder is a rare tumor characterized by poor differentiation and high aggressiveness. Very few cases worldwide have been reported till date. Recent literature shows equivalent survival data for localized disease treated with chemoradiotherapy combined with either bladder sparing surgery or radical cystectomy. We report a case of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder diagnosed after transurethral resection of bladder tumor, then followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for six cycles and awaiting radical cystectomy.

Complete situs inversus - is it a contraindication for organ donation?

Complete situs inversus, (SI), the total transposition of thoracic and abdominal organs, is rare and is considered a contraindication for organ donation. We report a patient of complete SI, who underwent donor nephrectomy. A 21-year-old male, without significant medical history, presented for voluntary living-unrelated renal donation and was found to have complete SI on evaluation and underwent right donor nephrectomy. The recipient is doing well on the follow-up. Meticulous surgical planning while selecting kidneys would enable renal donation even in cases of complete SI.

Massive bilateral renomegaly with maintained renal morphology in an infant.

Massive bilateral renomegaly with maintained renal morphology in infants is a rare entity. We present the images of a A 9-month-old female child who presented with massive bilateral renomegaly with maintained renal morphology due to acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors: Two genitourinary afflictions with varied presentations.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a rare disease with high malignant potential. It usually affects the skeletal system. Primary extraskeletal involvement of PNET is uncommon with few reported cases. PNET of the genitourinary system requires a very high index of suspicion for the diagnosis since the presentation of these tumors can be varied. We report two cases of PNET with varied presentations, affecting the genitourinary system.

Can zero-hour cortical biopsy predict early graft outcomes after living donor renal transplantation?

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify relevance of subclinical pathological findings in the kidneys of living donors and correlate these with early graft renal function. METHODS: This was a prospective study on 84 living donor kidney transplant recipients over a period of two years. In all the donors, cortical wedge biopsy was taken and sent for assessment of glomerular, mesangial, and tubule status. The graft function of patients with normal histology was compared with those of abnormal histological findings at one, three, and six months, and one year post-surgery. RESULTS: Most abnormal histological findings were of mild degree. Glomerulosclerosis (GS, 25%), interstitial fibrosis (IF, 13%), acute tubular necrosis (ATN 5%), and focal tubal atrophy (FTA, 5%) were the commonly observed pathological findings in zero-hour biopsies. Only those donors who had histological changes of IF and ATN showed progressive deterioration of renal function at one month, three months, six months, and one year post-transplantation. In donors with other histological changes, no significant effect on graft function was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Zero-hour cortical biopsy gave us an idea of the general status of the donor kidney and presence or absence of subclinical pathological lesions. A mild degree of subclinical and pathological findings on zero-hour biopsy did not affect early graft renal function in living donor kidney transplantation. Zero-hour cortical biopsy could also help in discriminating donor-derived lesions from de novo alterations in the kidney that could happen subsequently.

Herpes zoster reactivation after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: A case report.

Herpes zoster is a reactivated varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection of the sensory nerve ganglion, peripheral nerve, and its branches. Mechanical trauma to the nervous system can reactivate VZV. It is well known that extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) can produce mechanical damage to the tissue. We report a rare case of herpes zoster reactivation after SWL for treatment of 1.2 cm size renal stone in a 63-year-old male patient.

Leiomyosarcoma Presenting as a Scrotal Mass.

Scrotal leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor arising from the dartos layer of the scrotum presenting as firm, rubbery, non-tender, irregular mass. To date about 37 cases of leiomyosarcoma of scrotum have so far been reported. Treatment involves wide surgical excision with tumor free margins. We report a case of scrotal leiomyosarcoma in a 48-year-old man which was treated by a wide surgical excision and follow up of 14 months showed no recurrence of tumor.

Variations in renal morphometry: A hospital-based Indian study.

INTRODUCTION: The currently available standard renal nomograms for comparison of renal dimensions in India are based on the measurements made in the Western population. The objectives of our study were to identify variations in renal morphometric parameters in subjects with no known renal disease in a hospital-based Indian population and to find out any correlation between renal volumes with split renal functions and body mass index (BMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-one subjects undergoing contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scan for various purposes, including donor nephrectomy, from June 2012 to August 2014 were included in the study. The renal and ureteral dimensions were assessed from the contrast-enhanced CT scan images of these patients. RESULTS: The mean length, width, thickness and volume of the left kidney were 11.02 ± 1.13 cm, 5.21 ± 0.75 cm, 4.65 ± 0.84 cm and 138.22 ± 29.81 mL, respectively, and those for the right kidney were 10.86 ± 1.12 cm, 5.13 ± 0.77 cm, 4.73 ± 0.95 cm and 137.54 ± 34.48 mL, respectively. The mean length of the left ureter was 23.51 ± 1.48 cm and that of the right ureter was 23.24 ± 1.93 cm. The mean volume of the kidneys in males and females was also different. The volume of the kidney did not statically correlate with the split glomerular filtration rate ((P = 0.12) and BMI (P = 0.52)). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that there exist differences in various morphometric parameters of the kidney and ureter in different subsets of the Indian population attending our hospital as compared with the standard values quoted in the world literature.

Ectopic scrotum: A unique case report.

Ectopic scrotum is a rare congenital anomaly. Most common location is supra-inguinal. We present a case of left ectopic scrotum in a three year old boy with no associated congenital anomalies, who underwent successful scrotoplasty and orchiopexy.

Intrinsic tumour factors affecting recurrence in non muscle invasive bladder cancer: a hospital based study from India.

BACKGROUND: Depending on various pathological factors, non muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) shows varying degrees of recurrence. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of recurrence of NMIBS in our centre, study the influence of intrinsic tumour characteristics like grade, stage, size and number, and compare our results with data in the published literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital based retrospective study was conducted on patients who underwent treatment for NMIBC from 2011 to 2014. The factors studied were number, size, grade, stage and site for correlation with recurrence. Statistical analysis was performed using Medcalc version 12, using Pearson's Chi square test to ascertain associations between variables. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients with NMIBC were studied of which 48 (65.8%) had low grade and 25 (34.2%) had high grade tumours. Some 38 patients (52.1%) had Ta tumours, 34 (46.6%) had T1 and one had CIS. Mean follow up was 34.3 months. Recurrence rates were found to be 33.3% in low grade and 52.0% in high grade tumours. The overall recurrence rate in our centre was 39.7%. Significant correlations were seen between stage and recurrence, with a rate of 15% for Ta and 63.3% for T1 tumours. Fourteen out of 21 bladder cancers (66.6%) with multiple tumours demonstrated recurrence (p=0.006). Grade, size and site had no influence. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, recurrence of NMIBC was found to be directly proportional to stage and number of primary tumours, but not grade, size and site. The incidence of recurrence of NMIBC both stage wise and grade wise in our centre was also low compared to the data in the published literature.

Urethro-urethral fistula: A rare cause of post-TURP incontinence.

Prostatic abscess rarely follows acute prostatitis and can sometimes lead to a fistula by breaking into the prostatic urethra, peri-rectal tissues, the perineum, or the rectum. We report a case of a prostatic abscess tracking into the bulbar urethra after a transurethral resection of the prostate. This created a fistula, mimicking a urethral duplication and leading to urinary incontinence.

Primary Renal Synovial Sarcoma: An Oncologic Surprise.

Primary renal synovial sarcoma is a rare tumor having a specific chromosomal translocation t(X; 18) (p11.2; q11.2). The clinical features of this tumor and radiologic appearances are quite similar to those of renal cell carcinoma. Confirmatory diagnosis requires fluorescent in situ hybridization or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction validation for differentiating the tumors from sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma. We present a case of primary renal synovial sarcoma that was diagnosed in a middle-aged man.

Acute renal dysfunction: time from coronary angiography to cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of acute renal dysfunction has not changed much over the years, despite improvements in perioperative care. Our objectives were to evaluate the impact of timing of cardiac surgery after coronary angiography on acute renal dysfunction, to identify risk factors associated with development of acute renal dysfunction, and to measure the association between acute renal dysfunction and mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients were divided into 3 groups: group A (cardiac surgery 0-3 days after angiography), group B (surgery 4-6 days after angiography), and group C (surgery > 6 days after angiography). Endpoints were acute renal dysfunction, defined as serum creatinine > 25% of baseline on the 3rd postoperative day, and mortality. RESULTS: In 749 patients, the incidence of acute renal dysfunction was 15%; 5% required dialysis. Hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ejection fraction < 40%, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraaortic balloon pump use, and urgent surgery were risk factors for acute renal dysfunction after cardiac surgery. Patients in group C had a lower risk of acute renal dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Acute renal dysfunction has a definite relationship with the time period between angiography and cardiac surgery. The causative factors for this condition are multiple and also show a consistent association with mortality.

Transesophageal echocardiography for diagnosis of inadvertant closure of inferior vena cava opening during minimally invasive atrial septal defect closure.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is widely used in cardiac surgery. TEE provides important diagnostic and functional information before and after cardiopulmonary bypass thereby having a very important impact on perioperative clinical outcomes. We describe a case in which intraoperative TEE was instrumental in the timely diagnosis of inadvertant closure of the inferior vena cava (IVC) opening during minimally invasive surgical closure of atrial septal defect.