Reflex anuria from unilateral ureteral obstruction.

Renal function is usually normal or only marginally affected in patients with unilateral ureteral obstruction due to the vicarious function of the contralateral kidney. Few reports exist in which unilateral renal obstruction is associated with anuria (reflex anuria, RA) and acute renal failure. We report the clinical case of a female patient who was referred to the emergency department due to anuria of 72 h duration and acute renal failure (serum creatinine 9 mg/dl) associated with several episodes of violent right flank pain with hematuria following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).