Heme-pigment nephropathy after transurethral resection of prostate cancer

Abstract

Introduction:Transurethral resection of the prostate is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in men to relieve bladder outlet obstruction, most often due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, transurethral resection of the prostate may also be used in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who have bladder outlet obstruction. Acute kidney injury after transurethral resection of the prostate has been described and attributed to a variety of mechanisms, including acute tubular necrosis, rhabdomyolysis, and hemolysis with heme-pigment nephropathy. However, to our knowledge, no case of kidney biopsy-proven heme-pigment nephropathy due to hemolysis from a transurethral resection of the prostate procedure has been published to date.Case description:We describe a case of an 82-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer who presented with severe oliguric renal failure 2 weeks after transurethral resection of the prostate for bladder outlet obstruction. Laboratory studies showed evidence of hemolysis, and a kidney biopsy showed heme-pigment cast nephropathy.Conclusions:We hypothesize that the patient’s kidney injury was induced by hemolysis resulting from rapid absorption of hypotonic fluid administered during the transurethral resection of the prostate procedure. Patients with prostate cancer undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate for bladder outlet obstruction may experience severe complications related to rapid absorption of hypotonic fluid. Our case illustrates the importance of nephrology evaluation and kidney biopsy in patients with benign and malignant prostate conditions who experience post-transurethral resection of the prostate syndrome and acute kidney injury in order to better characterize these complications, and to develop preventative strategies for future cases.