[Acute renal failure induced by retroperitoneal fibrosis revealing Hodgkin's disease. A case report. Five years complete remission with surgical and medical treatment. Subsequent fatal bronchogenic carcinoma (author's transl)].

A 57 year-old-man with acute renal failure was diagnosed as having retroperitoneal fibrosis. Malignant lymphoma is suspected because of peripheral lymphadenopathy, but biopsies are unrevealant. Nephrostomy restores kidney function. Many other histologic samplings performed during three laparotomies are necessary to diagnose Hodgkin's disease. Nephrostomy is complicated with iterative acute pyelonephritis and septicaemias which make chemotherapy unadvisable. Ureterolysis is unsuccessful. Urinary tract infection disappears after uretero-ileoplasty. Subsequently chemotherapy induces a complete remission during 5 years with normal renal function. We review two previously reported cases of this unusual cause of malignant retroperitoneal fibrosis. Diagnostic procedures and therapeutic management are discussed.