Observations on xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis.

Four cases of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, treated at the Department of Urology of the Military Medical Academy, are described. Focal lesions of the kidney were found in all of them. A precise pre- and intraoperative diagnosis is impossible or doubtful because the clinical symptoms and macroscopic appearance of the involved kidney suggest the presence of a tumour. Treatment consists mainly in nephrectomy.