Perinephric abscess from insulin syringe reuse.

Perinephric abscess is a rare and often missed diagnosis. Diabetes mellitus and injection drug use are often considered among the predisposing factors for perinephric abscess. Diabetic patients are taught to discard insulin syringes after a single use. Described here is a patient who developed perinephric abscess from contaminated insulin syringes. Physicians are often unaware of the high prevalence of disposable insulin syringe reuse in the community.