Acute renal failure associated with the administration of parenteral etidronate

Etidronate-induced toxicity has not been well documented in humans. This is a detailed account of a case of acute renal failure believed to be due to etidronate. The patient inadvertently received an overdose of etidronate by the intravenous route and subsequently developed acute renal failure as evidenced by a rapid and sustained rise in serum creatinine. The temporal relationship was strongly suggestive of etidronate-induced nephrotoxicity. Other possible causes, such as postrenal obstruction, acute tubular necrosis due to hypotension or sepsis, and other nephrotoxic drugs were excluded through diagnostic and laboratory tests.