The importance of surgical treatment in encrusted cystitis and pyelitis: A case report

Encrusted cystitis and Encrusted pyelitis are rare chronic inflammatory diseases. Those conditions are commonly caused by the Corynebacterium spp. especially the type D2 which is a gram positive, aerobic, slow-growing, and urea-sliting bacteria with a multi-antibiotic resistant profile.

We report the case of a 62-year-old man with a past history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was referred to the department of urology for urosepsis. Bacterial culture results were positive to Corynebacterium urealyticum. The diagnosis of encrusted cystitis and pyelitis were highly considered. An adapted antibiotherapy was undertaken using vancomycin during 3 weeks. The patient presented two acute peritonitis : the first was caused by a spontaneous bladder dome rupture which was surgically repaired and the second was caused by a total bladder rupture which required cysto-prostatectomy and bilateral ureterostomy. The post operative outcomes were uneventful. Bacterial urinalysis was negative and total recovery was obtained.

In the majority of the reported cases, there were no sepsis or peritonitis conditions. Medical treatment by the glycopeptides and urine acidification was sufficient. However in this case, the sepsis condition and the bladder rupture with acute peritonitis made exclusively medical treatment by antibiotics insufficient. Therefore cystectomy associated to conventional antibiotics were able to limit the systemic dissemination of the bacteria and save the patient's life.

Glycopeptides antibiotics are currently the preferential treatment of encrusted cystitis. In some complicated conditions such as bladder rupture and urosepsis as in this case, radical surgical treatment by cystectomy must be realized early to avoid peritonea and septic shock.