Emphysematous renal and perirenal infection in nondiabetic patient

Emphysematous renal infection is a severe, rare complication of urinary tract infection associated with gas production, which frequently causes renal destruction and has a high mortality rate. It is termed emphysematous pyelitis when gas is confined to the collecting system, or emphysematous pyelonephritis if it also involves the parenchyma with or without the perirenal space. Only 7 cases of perirenal emphysema have been described previously; all were in diabetics. Here we present a rare case of gas-producing renal infection in the collecting system and perirenal tissues, in a nondiabetic patient, and discuss the management of the various types of emphysematous renal infections.