Emphysematous pyelonephritis in a transplanted kidney

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare infection characterized by necrosis and gas accumulation in the renal parenchyma, adjacent tissues, and/or urinary collecting system. This entity is rarely reported in transplanted kidneys. Computed tomography imaging is necessary for diagnosis and risk classification. The authors described the case of a 58-year-old man who underwent a kidney transplant and presented sepsis from a urinary tract infection. An abdominal tomography showed some characteristics of emphysematous pyelonephritis associated with an abscess. A graft biopsy, performed 45 days after the transplant, failed to show signs of infection, and tubule-interstitial and vascular rejection were ruled out. The patient had a poor outcome, and a nephrectomy was needed, the pathological analysis of which yielded the diagnosis of chronic pyelonephritis with necrotizing papillitis. The patient became hemodynamically unstable and died. The authors highlight the current tomographic criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of emphysematous pyelonephritis and question the validity of accepting the same standards used to guide the treatment of patients without transplants, and call attention to the importance of the clinical status for the indication of nephrectomy in cases of emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Gastritis enfisematosa como causa infrecuente de abdomen agudo / Emphysematous gastritis as an infrequent cause of acute abdominal pain

La gastritis enfisematosa (GE) es una entidad poco frecuente, descripta por primera vez por Fraenkel en 1889. Se caracteriza por la invasión de la pared gástrica por gérmenes productores de gas, y se asocia a una alta morbimortalidad. Se describen en la bibliografía diferentes factores de riesgo que favorecerían su desarrollo, entre ellos ingesta de cáusticos, diabetes, abuso de alcohol, isquemia gástrica y cirugía de estómago. El cuadro clínico se caracteriza por dolor abdominal agudo y progresivo asociado a repercusión sistémica, sepsis severa, shock séptico, disfunción orgánica múltiple y muerte. Los métodos de diagnóstico por imágenes cumplen un rol fundamental en su abordaje, siendo la tomografía computada multidetector (TCMD) el método de elección, ya que cuenta con la capacidad de mostrar la presencia de gas en el interior de la pared gástrica (neumatosis gástrica) en asociación con el aumento de su espesor, siendo estos dos hallazgos la clave en el diagnóstico. También se encuentra presente un aumento de la densidad del tejido perigástrico compatible con cambios de tipo inflamatorio o infeccioso, y en algunas ocasiones se asocia a neumatosis portal. Se realiza una actualización del tema enfatizando el rol de la TCMD para su diagnóstico.

Emphysematous gastritis (EG) is a rare entity first described in 1889. It is characterized by the invasion of the gastric wall by gas-producing bacteria, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The clinical picture is characterized by acute abdominal pain associated with progressive systemic repercussions, severe sepsis, septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction, and death. Imaging methods play a fundamental role in the diagnosis. Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) is the method of choice, since it has the ability to show the presence of gas within the gastric wall (gastric pneumatosis) in association with increased wall thickness. These two features are key findings for diagnosis. Increased density of perigastric tissue is frequently present, due to infectious or inflammatory changes; sometimes portal pneumatosis is present as well. An update on EG is presented, emphasizing the role of MDCT in diagnosis.

Spirometric assessment of lung transplant patients: one year follow-up

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare spirometry data between patients who underwent single-lung or double-lung transplantation the first year after transplantation. INTRODUCTION: Lung transplantation, which was initially described as an experimental method in 1963, has become a therapeutic option for patients with advanced pulmonary diseases due to improvements in organ conservation, surgical technique, immunosuppressive therapy and treatment of post-operative infections. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of the 39 patients who received lung transplantation in our institution between August 2003 and August 2006. Twenty-nine patients survived one year post-transplantation, and all of them were followed. RESULTS: The increase in lung function in the double-lung transplant group was more substantial than that of the single-lung transplant group, exhibiting a statistical difference from the 1st month in both the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) in comparison to the pre-transplant values (p <0.05). Comparison between double-lung transplant and single lung-transplant groups of emphysema patients demonstrated a significant difference in lung function beginning in the 3rd month after transplantation. DISCUSSION: The analyses of the whole group of transplant recipients and the sub-group of emphysema patients suggest the superiority of bilateral transplant over the unilateral alternative. Although the pre-transplant values of lung function were worse in the double-lung group, this difference was no longer significant in the subsequent months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Although both groups demonstrated functional improvement after transplantation, there was a clear tendency to greater improvement in FVC and FEV1 in the bilateral transplant group. Among our subjects, double-lung transplantation improved lung function.