[Serious renal infection: report of three cases]

In renal infections, lack of peculiar symptoms and consequent delay of diagnosis can sometimes lead to a critical condition of the patient. We report three cases of life-threatening renal infections in female patients, two of which were subsequently fata. One patient died of left emphysematous pyelonephritis with bilateral pleuritis. The patient was correctly diagnosed 13 days after the onset of symptoms and expired 2 months later despite nephrectomy on the day of diagnosis. The second patient died of septic shock 3 days following the onset of symptoms. Autopsy revealed multiple perinephric abscess of the left kidney. The non-fatal case was a perinephric abscess spread to the iliopsoas muscle. The patient was diagnosed with perinephric abscess 11 days after the onset of symptoms and eventually underwent nephrectomy 9 days later. Two of the patients were diabetics and the third was a probable diabetic, who died too suddenly to confirm the diagnosis. Herein, we review the literature of, and discuss the diagnosis and management of serious renal infection.