Ultrasonography Findings of Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Multiple Abscesses Following Renal Transplant: A Case Report

Abstract

Urinary tract infection is the most common complication after kidney transplant that can cause graft loss. An early diagnosis of urinary infections decreases morbidity and mortality. Besides clinical and laboratory examinations, ultrasonography is considered as the primary imaging modality for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections. Here, we report a 53-year-old woman who presented with fever and pain at surgical site. Ultrasonography examination showed multiple, ill-defined or irregularly margined hypoechoic areas within the cortex. Ultrasonography-guided percutaneous renal biopsy was performed. Histopathologic findings were compatible with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and multiple abscesses. Ultrasonography is the most widely applied imaging modality for diagnoses of complications after renal transplant. Although ultrasonography findings of infections are generally nonspecific, it still plays an important role in the diagnosis of urinary infections after renal transplant.