[Emphysematous pyelonephritis].
A case of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is described. EPN is a severe suppurative infection of the renal parenchyma and the perirenal tissue, characterized by intra-renal, and possibly perirenal, gas formation. This is a rare form of acute pyelonephritis. The condition is associated with a high mortality. Diabetic patients are particularly prone to the disease. The diagnosis is established with great certainty by computed tomography of the kidneys. The condition should be treated with an intensive combined medical-urological regimen with percutaneous nephrostomy guided by computed tomography or ultrasound should be performed. If no therapeutic response occurs, surgical incision and drainage or nephrectomy are recommended. In the present case of EPN, the medical treatment proved adequate.