Renal cortical necrosis in tropics

Abstract

The aim of this study is to review cases of renal cortical necrosis (RCN) that were seen on renal biopsy at our center over a period of seven years. All renal biopsy records over seven years at the Osmania General Hospital were reviewed to identify patients with histologically proven RCN. The demographic, clinical, laboratory investigations and follow-up data were noted. There were a total of 105 patients with RCN. The mean age was 28.13 ± 12.40 years. Forty-one cases (39.04%) resulted from obstetric complications. The most common histology type of RCN was patchy cortical necrosis in 65 patients (62%). All patients required dialysis, and the mean duration of dialysis was 3 ± 1 weeks. Thirty-three (31.42%) patients progressed to end-stage kidney disease while three patients underwent renal transplantation. Ten (9.5%) patients succumbed to acute kidney injury. The remaining patients recovered sufficient renal function and were dialysis-independent till the last follow-up. RCN is an important cause of chronic kidney disease. Obstetric complications are the leading cause of RCN in our setting. An early renal biopsy, especially in cases of anuric renal failure, helps in establishing the diagnosis.