Urinary tract tuberculosis misdiagnosed and treated as renal carcinoma in the presence of diffuse interstitial nephritis: a case report

J Med Case Rep. 2022 Jul 15;16(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s13256-022-03491-8.

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract tuberculosis (UTTB) is a common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) which can infrequently present as renal carcinoma, leading to serious errors in the diagnosis and treatment of UTTB.

Case presentation: A 76-year-old Syrian man presented with gross hematuria as the main symptom. A urinary endoscopic examination and pelvic multi-slice computed tomography imaging increased the suspicion of a speared renal mass in the right urinary tract. The patient was treated for renal cancer. After nephrectomy and ureterctomy, the histopathology of the resected mass confirmed the diagnosis of UTTB and interstitial nephritis.

Conclusion: This case should serve to increase the attention of clinicians to perform an accurate diagnosis step by step. This is especially important if they have a patient similar to the case described here who presents with a renal mass, to avoid serious results such as the loss of an essential organ system.

Keywords: Pseudotumoral renal tuberculosis; Renal carcinoma; Urinary tract tuberculosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell* / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell* / diagnostic imaging
  • Diagnostic Errors
  • Humans
  • Kidney Neoplasms* / complications
  • Kidney Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Kidney Neoplasms* / surgery
  • Male
  • Nephritis, Interstitial* / complications
  • Nephritis, Interstitial* / diagnosis
  • Nephritis, Interstitial* / pathology
  • Tuberculosis*
  • Urinary Tract Infections*