Acute focal bacterial nephritis: Diverse clinical presentations in pediatric patients

Acute focal bacterial nephritis, or lobar nephronia, is a localized form of pyelonephritis affecting one or more renal lobes. Recent improvements in noninvasive imaging techniques have permitted differentiation of this entity from the usual generalized form of pyelonephritis, and renal abscess. The radiologic and urologic literatures have discussed acute focal bacterial nephritis in some detail, but only a single case report has appeared in the pediatric literature. Recently we have seen two cases of acute focal bacterial nephritis that serve to emphasize the potentially diverse clinical presentation of this disease in children.