Acute renal failure after anterior pelvic exenteration: a case report and review of the literature

This is a report of a case of advanced cervical carcinoma in a 34-year-old woman treated with anterior pelvic exenteration at the Department of Gynecology of the Medical University in Gdansk. Despite annual gynecological check-ups, the patient presented with profuse bleeding from the genital tract. IVa cervical carcinoma according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging was diagnosed. A vesicovaginal fistula was confirmed. In the postoperative period acute renal failure occurred. Twenty-four days after the operation when normal renal parameters had been restored, the patient was transferred to the Department of Radiotherapy for supplementary treatment. Pelvic exenteration offers the last chance for some women with gynecological malignancy and can provide a good chance of long-term survival in carefully selected patients with gynecological cancer.