To discuss the clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of upper urinary tract calculi complicating with emphysematous pyelonephritis(EPN).

The clinical data of 5 cases of upper urinary tract calculi complicating with EPN diagnosed in our department from July 2012 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, and literatures were reviewed. 5 patients were identified by computed tomography scanning to upper urinary tract calculi complicating with EPN, 3 female and 2 male, aged 40-67 years, 2 staghorn calculi and 3 multiple stones. One patient suffered from diabetes mellitus. All cases presented with fever at the enrollment point, and the body temperature were 38.7℃, 38.8℃, 37.5℃, 38.6℃, 40.0℃, respectively. And the number of white blood cells and neutrophile granulocyte of these cases were higher than normal reference value, were 17.2×10⁹/L, 0.90; 14.9×10⁹/L, 0.89; 11.2×10⁹/L, 0.85; 15.1×10⁹/L, 0.87; 13.3×10⁹/L, 0.88, respectively. The C-reactive protein were increased in all of the cases, especially in case 1(68 mg/l), case 2(253 mg/l), and case 5(67 mg/l). And 3 cases with renal insufficiency. Case 3 and case 4 were controlled the infection with medical management alone, and case 5 with percutaneous drainage plus medical management. The pyelonephritis of other 2 cases were uncontrolled, the body temperature of case 1 returned to normal after treated with percutaneous drainage of perirenal abscess plus nephrostomy plus medical management, but the imaging findings of kidney was not relief by CT scan after 4 weeks. Case 2 was persistent fever until treated with fluconazole according to the medicine sensitive experiment’s result of urine culture after undergoing nephrostomy plus indwelled a double J tube in ureter, but the CT findings of kidney grew worse 1 week later.

Of the 5 patients, 1 received first-stage nephrostomy and second-stage percutaneous nephrolithotomy, 2 received same session surgery, 2 received nephrectomy. There was no complications occurred except postoperative fever in 1 case. Postoperative pathology of the nephrectomy revealed glomerular sclerosis, glomerulus dilation, and inflammatory granulation tissue was formed. And 1-84 months follow-up showed no recurrence in all the cases.

Upper urinary tract calculi complicating with EPN is an rare acute severe infection, CT is the best choice of early diagnosis, double J stenting or percutaneous drainage of abscess with broad-spectrum antibiotics could be the preferred treatment.

Urinary calculi; Upper urinary tract calculi; Emphysematous pyelonephritis; Percutaneous drainage; Percutaneous nephrolithotomy