Conservative approach in treating acute renal carbuncle.

During the years 1980-82 seven patients with renal carbuncles successfully underwent conservative treatment with antibiotics alone. Early diagnosis was made using excretory urography and nephrotomography, ultrasound and computerized tomography scan. Follow-up studies showed a normal kidney in six of the seven patients. One patient had a clinical remission, but ultrasound follow-up showed a small area in the right kidney with a few low-level echoes, representing focal scarring.