Fatal Outcome of Bilateral Nephrectomy in a Patient With Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abstract

A 49-year-old woman had polycystic kidneys and liver cysts first diagnosed in 1968. She presented with hepatic and renal failure in 1980 and by 1988 was undergoing regular haemodialysis. In February 1989 she had bilateral nephrectomy (before renal transplantation) but developed septic shock and died. The reported mortality of bilateral nephrectomy before kidney transplantation is about 5%, and patients should be carefully selected and assessed before operation.