Unilateral pyonephrosis with septic thrombosis of the renal vein and vena cava

A case of unilateral abscess-forming pyonephrosis with thrombosis of the renal vein and of the adjacent wall of the vena cava will be presented. This septic thrombosis as a consequence of an antecedent septicemia appears to be a late complication of pyonephrosis. In the differential diagnosis renal carcinoma could not be excluded whether pre- nor intraoperatively.