Acute renal infections.

The current status of the pathogenesis of the disease and imaging methods in acute renal infections is reviewed. The spectrum of type of infection includes 1) acute pyelonephritis, 2) acute bacterial nephritis, 3) acute renal abscess, 4) acute pyonephrosis, and 5) infected renal simple cyst. The two most common imaging methods used are ultrasound and computed tomography (CT). Recent experience from the literature suggests that CT offers some advantages over ultrasound particularly in distinguishing degree and type of involvement of the renal parenchyma and in more accurate diagnosis of acute abscess.