[Muscular metastases from renal cell carcinoma]. / Métastases musculaires des carcinomes à cellules rénales.

Renal cell carcinoma can metastasize to several locations but rarely in muscles. However, this possibility must never be overlooked because muscle metastases may occur a very long time after the initial nephrectomy. So the post-operative follow-up, according to the recommendations, with thoraco-abdomino-pelvic imaging (computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance) allowing to detect metastases, including muscle metastases in the trunk, does not have to neglect the metastases located in the members. This search is based upon a thorough clinical examination, completed by targeted imaging in case of symptoms and/or palpable mass.

[Watermelon stomach: Chronic renal failure and/or imatinib?]. / Watermelon stomach : insuffisance rénale chronique et/ou Glivec(®) ?

Watermelon stomach or gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) syndrome is an uncommon cause of sometimes severe upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. Essentially based on a pathognomonic endoscopic appearance, its diagnosis may be unrecognised because mistaken with portal hypertensive gastropathy, while treatment of these two entities is different. Its etiopathogeny remains still unclear, even if it is frequently associated with different systemic illnesses as hepatic cirrhosis, autoimmune disorders and chronic renal failure. The mechanism inducing these vascular ectasia may be linked with mechanical stress on submucosal vessels due to antropyloric peristaltic motility dysfunction modulated by neurohormonal vasoactive alterations. Because medical therapies are not very satisfactory, among the endoscopic modalities, argon plasma coagulation seems to be actually the first-line treatment because the most effective and safe. However, surgical antrectomy may be sometimes necessary. Recently GAVE syndrome appeared as a new adverse reaction of imatinib mesylate, one of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in chronic myeloid leukemia, and we report here the observation of such a pathology in one patient treated at the same time by haemodialysis and by imatinib mesylate for chronic myeloid leukemia.

[Crystalluria in ethylene glycol intoxication]. / La cristallurie dans l'intoxication à l'éthylène glycol.

When seen, some habits of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals (whewellite) are so typical of ethylene glycol intoxication that they may be helpful for its diagnosis when circumstances are not clearly established.

[Bariatric surgery, calcium oxalate urinary stones and oxalate nephropathy]. / Chirurgie bariatrique, lithiase oxalo-calcique et insuffisance rénale par néphropathie oxalique.

Bariatric surgery is now recognized as a sure and effective way for weight reduction in morbid obesity. However some procedures induce intestinal malabsorption leading to enteric hyperoxaluria. So bariatric surgery could place these patients not only at risk for nephrolithiasis but also for oxalate induced nephropathy and chronic renal failure. Because of the growing incidence of obesity worldwide, physicians and patients should be aware of such potential complications. There is no mean to discuss this treatment because of its spectacular efficiency on obesity and its comorbidities. But it is necessary to choose the surgical technique according to the risk factors of the patients. Following surgery, preventive treatment strategies are indicated, such as modified dietary lifestyle and specific drugs as we suggested to limit or even avoid these complications. However observance could fail in the long term. In case of oxalate nephropathy, surgery may be proposed to restore the intestinal tract but with the risk of overweight relapse. To illustrate this matter, we report here significant observations of three patients, which, having successfully benefited from the same bariatric surgery, have presented lithiasic complications for two of them and oxalate nephropathy leading to chronic renal failure and hemodialysis for the third.