Vanishing Kidney: On the Far End of the Spectrum of Xanthogranulomatous Pyelonephritis

Abstract

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is a rare and severe form of chronic pyelonephritis associated with the destruction of the renal parenchyma and granulomatous inflammation with foamy lipid-laden macrophages resulting from urinary tract obstruction, nephrolithiasis, infection, diabetes, and immune compromise. Kidney parenchyma could be detected easily in XGP even if it is atrophic. However, here we present a 58-year-old man with XGP in which the renal parenchyma has near completely disappeared, which we referred to as the “vanishing kidney.”