Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: Report of nonsurgical management of a case and review of the literature

A case of focal xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XPN) in a child, successfully cured with antibiotics only, is presented, and this report is followed by a review of the literature on XPN in both children and adults. XPN is a rare inflammatory disease of the kidney. Factors strongly implicated in the development of XPN are genitourinary obstruction and urinary tract infection, although other contributing factors have been suggested. The clinical presentation of the disease is remarkably nonspecific and variable; it therefore is frequently misdiagnosed as other, more common diseases that cause focal or diffuse renal masses, including renal neoplasms, abscesses, and tuberculosis. Diagnosis requires acquisition of renal tissue for special pathological staining. The long-standing mainstay of therapy for XPN has been nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy. However, this report and other recent reports of the successful medical management of focal XPN suggest that a trial of antibiotics prior to surgery is warranted in cases of focal XPN.