[The echographic diagnosis of Candida albicans cystitis in childhood]

Candida albicans infections are opportunistic and range from asymptomatic infections to life-threatening involvement, with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Urinary tract involvement is usually secondary to systemic infection, although the kidney or the bladder may be primarily infected without other organs being involved. Renal fungus infections, most commonly due to Candida, are usually seen in patients with altered host resistance due to diabetes, malignancy, other chronic illnesses, or prolonged antibiotic, corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy. Herein we report on an immunosuppressed 12 years-old girl with Candida albicans cystitis diagnosed with US. Sonography demonstrated a discrete dense fluid-fluid interface within the bladder, mobile with changes in position. US was used to monitor the progress of therapy. Treatment is usually conservative, related to removing the precipitating factors (catheters, antibiotics, steroids). Indeed, in our case, the immunosuppressed patient needed aggressive therapy: i.v. fluconazole. Sonography 15 days after treatment showed a normal bladder, without significant sequelae or the formation of vesical concretions.