Publication
Diffuse abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting due to retroperitoneal fibrosis: a rare but often missed diagnosis
Journal Paper/Review - Oct 1, 1997
Netzer P, Binek Janek, Hammer B
Units
PubMed
Citation
Type
Journal
Publication Date
Issn Print
Pages
Brief description/objective
Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare chronic inflammatory disease usually involving the ureters, retroperitoneal vessels and nerves; however, any intestinal organ may also be involved. In recent years, a few successful immunosuppressive treatments of this disease have been described and surgery can, therefore, probably be avoided in most cases. We report here on a case of secondary retroperitoneal fibrosis with compression and midline deviation of the ureters and impaired renal function which was probably caused by ergotamine abuse because of migraine. The patient complained of diffuse abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. After immunosuppressive treatment with azathioprine and prednisone for a year, we observed a complete resolution of the retroperitoneal mass on computed tomography, although renal function remained impaired. Eleven months after the cessation of treatment, the patient had not relapsed.