[Effectiveness and tolerability of zoledronic acid in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer].

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of zoledronic acid in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases at the hormone-sensitive (HS) and hormone-independent (HI) stages.

Materials And Methods: A nationwide, observational, prospective, open and multi-centre trial was devised, with a total of 218 male patients diagnosed with prostate cancer at the HS stage (36%) or HI stage (64%) who were administered zoledronic acid (4 mg/IV/month for 6 months) in addition to their specific oncological treatment. Effectiveness was assessed by the following means: 1) Assessment of the improvement in pain and mobility; 2) Incidence and time to onset of skeletal-related events (SREs) and 3) Analysis of bone markers.

[Wilms tumor in the adult].

Objective: To report a case of Wilms' tumor in an adult patient.

Methods: The records of an adult patient with renal tumor is reviewed.

Results: A 23-year-old male consulted for hematuria.

[Emphysematous pyelonephritis].

Objective: To present an uncommon but startling case of a urinary tract infectious disease such as renal emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Method/results: We report the case of a decompensated diabetic female patient who presented an intrarenal infectious picture with gas formation compatible with emphysematous pyelonephritis that showed good evolution following medical treatment and simple nephrectomy surgery.

Conclusions: Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a serious infective disease that occurs almost exclusively in diabetic patients and requires a fast and correct diagnosis differentiating between diffuse from focused processes in order to advise conservative or aggressive therapy on the renal unit (percutaneous drainage/nephrectomy), based on immediate hemodynamic and antibiotic medical support, due to its serious prognosis such as is described in the literature.

[Acute systemic nocardiosis. Renal abscess].

Objectives: Nocardiosis is an infection caused by the Nocardia genus that rarely involves the genitourinary system. The microbiological characteristics of Nocardia asteroides and the pathogenesis, possible symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of nocardiosis are reviewed.

Methods/results: We describe a patient with lung involvement and intraparenchymal abscess in the left kidney that required nephrectomy.

[Acute abdomen caused by rupture of aneurysms of the pancreatico-duodenal arteries. Apropos of a clinical case].

A case of acute abdominal hemorrhage caused by the rupture of several aneurysms of the pancreatoduodenal artery is presented. We discuss the difficulties of the diagnosis and point out the importance of the arteriographic study, as always in vascular lesions. We emphasize the difficulties of the treatment; most cases require surgical approach, going from suture of the aneurysm to cephalic duodenopancreatectomy.