Current affairs on cicatricial nephropathy

Abstract

Cicatricial nephropathy is the current term to define the presence of renal scars, of focal or diffuse distribution, secondary to an irreversible damage in the renal parenchyma. This review article aims to expose the most outstanding aspects of cicatricial nephropathy, the terminology currently used, the classification and the possible mechanisms involved in their production, and the diagnostic tests used. It has been determined that it has a multifactorial character with a high incidence after acute pyelonephritis. Nowadays it is considered a problem for the health systems in different parts of the world, since it is closely related to the appearance of terminal chronic kidney disease, generating a high cost of renal function replacement therapy and changes in the quality of life of the affected patients. The static renal scintigraphy DMSA-Tc99 is the most effective diagnostic method to show acute renal lesions and scars. Due to the importance of this condition this bibliographic review was carried out using specialized services and databases: SciELO, PubMed, Elsevier, Springer Science and Medline. The objective was to update specialists with the information on the research that is being conducted in this particular aspect of nephrology. It is important for physicians to know about this medical condition, its diagnosis, progress and long-term complications, so that strategies might be devised for its early detection.

Keywords

• kidney diseases
• radionuclide imaging
• pyelonephritis