INTRATHORACIC KIDNEY: A Case Report

Intrathoracic kidney: A rare presentation of ectopic kidney

“…In infants and children, the thoracic kidney may resemble a hernia of the foramen of Bochdalek, neurofibroma, or a pericardial cyst. In adults, the thoracic kidney should be differentiated from these and other posterior mediastinal masses and benign or malignant diaphragmatic, pleural, or pulmonary lesions [12] .…”

Ectopic Intrathoracic Kidney Presenting as Recurrent Pneumonias in a 1-year-old Infant: A Case Report

“…Also, left-sided ectopic thoracic kidneys are more common than right-sided ones, which can be explained by the location of the liver in the right upper abdominal quadrant [1]. Despite the uncommon location, thoracic ectopic kidneys are usually otherwise normal, without associated calculi, obstructions, or loss of renal function [3,4].…”

“…During the past 25 years, less than twenty reports of intrathoracic ectopic kidneys have been described in the pediatric age group [1,3,[5][6][7]. Of these, only a single case addressed recurrent pneumonia episodes as a complication of renal ectopia in a 22-month-old boy.…”

“…Differentials of posterior mediastinal masses include esophageal pathologies, paraspinal abscesses, descending aortic aneurysm, lymphadenopathy, neurogenic tumors, as well as diaphragmatic, pleural, and pulmonary lesions. This approach is essential in order to avoid unnecessary thoracotomies, especially in the pediatric population [3,6].…”

“…Due to its silent character, an intrathoracic kidney is rarely found during childhood. Pneumonia is a rare, yet possible, complication of an intrathoracic kidney, with few case reports describing this condition so far [1][2][3][4]. Hereinafter, we report an unusual case of an 18-month-old male infant who presented to our institution with a history of recurrent pneumonias in whom a right-sided intrathoracic kidney was discovered.…”