Trauma, renal vein thrombosis and subsequent nephrotic syndrome

A case of kidney trauma with local and systemic consequences is given. The patient got a trauma to right kidney region. After a fortnights latency nephrotic syndrome developed. Radiological examinations one month after the trauma revealed a partially recanalized thrombus in the right renal vein. It turned out in renal biopsy that the underlying cause of the nephrotic syndrome was acute proliferative glomerulonephritis with typical humps in electronmicroscopy. In contralateral (non-traumatized) kidney there was in renal biopsy the same type of acute glomerulonephritis as well. The course of the renal lesion was documented by a series of renal biopsies which showed improving proliferative glomerulonephritis. The time course of the events and the bilateral histological changes suggest renal trauma as the cause of acute proliferative glomerulonephritis which is a new aspect.