Une Liaison Dangereuse: Spontaneous Pyeloduodenal Fistula

We describe the case of a 76-year-old woman with a spontaneous nephroduodenal fistula. The patient was initially evaluated for gastrointestinal and urinary symptoms associated with fever and anemia, after which she was admitted with the diagnosis of right chronic pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis, and renal lithiasis. The fistula was diagnosed incidentally by percutaneous pyelography during a right nephrostomy and was later confirmed with an abdominal CT scan. A multidisciplinary decision was made to surgically treat the fistula (right nephrectomy plus duodenal repair); the surgery had a short-term positive outcome. We report a systematic review of the literature related to spontaneous pyeloduodenal fistulæ and their treatments.