Acute focal nephritis: our experience

Abstract

Acute focal nephritis is defined as a renal injury caused by acute focal infection without liquefaction. As it is not possible to differentiate clinically or by laboratory tests acute focal nephritis from acute pyelonephritis, imaging studies become necessary. Pediatric reports on this topic are scarce, and there are no current available guidelines on diagnosis and management.

We report a series of acute focal nephritis cases diagnosed and treated at our hospital in the last 8 years. All patients included in this study had a favorable outcome in the acute phase, with defervescence within 2-4 days of treatment. Ultrasound imaging normalized in a maximum of 9 days, despite the different antibiotic regimens employed. However, renal scan performed 6 to 9 months after the acute episode showed a higher percentage of focal hipocaption when compared to acute pyelonephritis without suppurative complications