Acute Pyelonephritis of an Ectopic Kidney Mimicking Acute Appendicitis: Two Unusual Cases in an Emergency Department

Pyelonephritis of an ectopic right kidney pretending as acute appendicitis: An unusual case

Introduction

Acute appendicitis is a common condition presenting in emergency department. A patient presenting with pain associated with fever, and tenderness in the right iliac fossa will be suspected to have Acute Appendicitis. However a variety of other clinical conditions may have similar features and may be required to be excluded. Acute pyelonephritis in an ectopic right kidney is a rare clinical condition which may mimic Acute Appendicitis.

Case presentation

We present a middle-age male with complaints of pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen with high grade fever for one week. Clinical suspicion and initial ultrasonography (USG) of abdomen supported the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The patient was initially managed conservatively and later non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) scan was done that revealed right ectopic kidney with acute pyelonephritis. The appendix was within normal limits on NCCT scan.

Discussion

Ectopic kidneys result from anomalies of ascend which can result in several complications depending upon its position. Acute appendicitis can also cause pyuria and may mimic urosepsis amounting to its close anatomical proximity to urinary bladder. An un-ascended ectopic kidney with pyelonephritis mimicking acute appendicitis is a rare occurrence. USG and CT scan are important tools in the differential diagnosis but however, USG is greatly operator dependent; CT scan provides excellent diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusion

This case report signifies importance of NCCT abdomen in accurate diagnosis of conditions featuring as right lower abdominal pain and fever. Also emphasizing significance of NCCT prior to any surgical intervention, if any conflict of diagnosis occurs.

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Right lower abdomen pain and fever are most commonly attributed to acute appendicitis.

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Cases are reported in past with co-existing pyelonephritis and appendicitis as well as pyelonephritis mimicking appendicitis.

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Pyelonephritis in ectopic kidney and appendicitis are very hard to differentiate on basis of history and lab parameters.

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NCCT abdomen can serve as augmented imaging modality in such cases with diagnostic dilemmas.

Bilateral subdiaphragmatic renal ectopia with associated congenital anomalies: a case report and systematic review of cases

Background

Cephalad renal ectopia is rare. Ectopic kidneys besides being prone to various pathologies are occasionally associated with other congenital abnormalities. To the best our knowledge, at the time of this writing, only ten cases of bilateral subdiaphragmatic renal ectopia had been reported.

Case presentation: We present a rare case of bilateral subdiaphragmatic ectopic kidneys incidentally discovered during evaluation of the abdominal pain. In addition, our patient had associated anomalies of the liver, spleen and mesocardia.

Conclusions

Recognition of this condition is important for accurate diagnosis, surgical and/or intervention planning, as well as identifying other associated anomalies.

Acute appendicitis coexisting with acute pyelonephritis causing diagnostic dilemma: a case report

Background

Acute appendicitis and acute pyelonephritis are the most common diseases admitted to emergency departments. Both conditions have common symptoms such as flank pain, abdominal pain, and fever. Patients’ history, physical examination, laboratory evaluation, and imaging methods are used to differentiate these two conditions. Diverticulitis, colitis, gynecological pathologies, and ureteral stones that mimic acute appendicitis should be kept in mind as differential diagnoses. Cases of pyelonephritis mimicking acute appendicitis have been reported in the literature, but there has not been a reported case in which acute appendicitis occurs during management of acute pyelonephritis. In this article, a case report which can cause such a diagnostic dilemma has been presented.

Case presentation

A 42-year-old female patient presented with clinical features suggestive of acute appendicitis that developed after a diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis. She underwent laparoscopic appendectomy on account of acute appendicitis during medical treatment for acute pyelonephritis. Physical examination showed only right costovertebral tenderness without any rebound tenderness at McBurney’s point at the first admission, but during treatment rebound tenderness at McBurney’s point was also detected. The Alvarado score of the patient was 5 at the first admission and 7 when acute appendicitis was diagnosed. The patient fully recovered and was discharged after both diseases were completely treated.

Conclusions

As seen in this case, it should be remembered that both diseases can be seen together which causes a diagnostic dilemma. If clinical or biochemical progression is detected in a patient under treatment, imaging methods should be repeated and additional ones with higher resolutions should be used.

Acute appendicitis–advances and controversies

Being one of the most common causes of the acute abdomen, acute appendicitis (AA) forms the bread and butter of any general surgeon’s practice. With the recent advancements in AA’s management, much controversy in diagnostic algorithms, possible differential diagnoses, and weighing the management options has been generated, with no absolute consensus in the literature. Since Alvarado described his eponymous clinical scoring system in 1986 to stratify AA risk, there has been a burgeoning of additional scores for guiding downstream management and mortality assessment. Furthermore, advancing literature on the role of antibiotics, variations in appendicectomy, and its adjuncts have expanded the surgeon’s repertoire of management options. Owing to the varied presentation, diagnostic tools, and management of AA have also been proposed in special groups such as pregnant patients, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. This article seeks to raise the critical debates about what is currently known about the above aspects of AA and explore the latest controversies in the field. Considering the ever-evolving coronavirus disease 2019 situation worldwide, we also discuss the pandemic’s repercussions on patients and how surgeons’ practices have evolved in the context of AA.

Unilateral Hypoplastic Pelvic Ectopic Kidney Presenting as a Cold Abscess: A Case Report

Renal ectopia, even though a benign condition, presents diagnostic challenges when its complications arise. Cold abscess in an abnormally sited kidney may, therefore, create a diagnostic conundrum for the clinician. We present the case of a 55-year-old male who had a suppurating ectopic kidney that mimicked an abdominal visceral mitotic lesion necessitating initial laparotomy, reviewed the literature, and highlighted the need to consider the differential diagnosis, especially in patients who have been referred from peripheral hospitals where generous antibiotic therapy has been instituted. We also recommend undertaking a preoperative split renal scintigraphy where available, especially when nephrectomy is considered.

A rare presentation of an ectopic kidney with pyelonephritis mimicking appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is one of the top differential diagnoses of right lower quadrant pain in the emergency department. There are many other conditions that may mimic appendicitis such as diverticulitis, colitis and gynecological conditions. We report a rare diagnosis of a patient who presents with characteristic clinical and laboratory features of appendicitis with severe sepsis, but later showed acute pyelonephritis of a malrotated right ectopic kidney on computer tomography. An ectopic kidney is very rare with an incidence of 1 in 3000. It is usually asymptomatic, although it may also associate with obstruction, infection and urolithiasis. This case report raises the importance of early recognition of the correct diagnosis using imaging in appropriate clinical settings, and prompt antibiotic treatment can avoid unnecessary surgical intervention, preserve renal function and prevent a life-threatening catastrophe.