[Emphysematous pyelonephritis].

OBJECTIVE

To present an uncommon but startling case of a urinary tract infectious disease such as renal emphysematous pyelonephritis.

METHOD/RESULTS: We report the case of a decompensated diabetic female patient who presented an intrarenal infectious picture with gas formation compatible with emphysematous pyelonephritis that showed good evolution following medical treatment and simple nephrectomy surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a serious infective disease that occurs almost exclusively in diabetic patients and requires a fast and correct diagnosis differentiating between diffuse from focused processes in order to advise conservative or aggressive therapy on the renal unit (percutaneous drainage/nephrectomy), based on immediate hemodynamic and antibiotic medical support, due to its serious prognosis such as is described in the literature.