n. inflammation of the tissues around the kidney. This is usually due to spread of infection from the kidney itself (see pyelonephritis; pyonephrosis). The patient has pain in the loins, fever, and fits of shivering. Prompt treatment of the underlying renal infection is required to prevent progression to an abscess.
n. obstruction and infection of the kidney resulting in pus formation. A kidney stone is the usual cause of the obstruction, and the kidney becomes distended by pus and destroyed by the inflammation, which extends into the kidney substance itself and sometimes into the surrounding tissues (see perinephritis). Treatment is urgent *nephrectomy under antibiotic cover.... pyonephrosis