[Pyelonephritis with renal abscess in a child].

BACKGROUND

Pyelonephritis is a rare condition. It can sometimes be complicated by a renal abscess.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 7-year-old girl had a complicated course of a pyelonephritis. She was being administered intravenous antimicrobial agents and developed a fever with cold chills during treatment. Ultrasound and MRI revealed that the cause of the deterioration was a renal abscess. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone en gentamicin. Escherichia coli was isolated from the abscess. After two weeks of treatment, an MRI showed that the renal abscess had almost disappeared; this was confirmed by an additional ultrasound one week after the treatment had been discontinued.

CONCLUSION

The symptoms of a renal abscess are high fever, cold chills, stomach pain, groin pain, weight loss, total malaise, and clinical deterioration whilst under treatment. Quick recognition of the condition is important. An abscess of less than 5 cm in diameter may be treated with antibiotics alone.