title: [Retroperitoneal fibrosis: a clinical analysis of 18 cases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical features and outcomes of 18 patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 18 RPF patients who received treatment in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 1988 to 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The initial symptoms included abdominal pain, notalgia, abdominal distension, and pyrexia. Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (35-120 mm/h), immunoglobumin, and gamma globulin levels were found in 12 patients (66.7%), 4 patients (22.2%), and 5 patients (27.8%), respectively. Mild positive antinuclear antibody (1:160-1:320) was found in 3 patients (16.7%). Urethral obstructions were found by ultrasonography and intravenous pyelography, and the existence of post-peritoneal soft tissue shadow was confirmed by computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The final diagnosis included 15 primary RPF cases and 3 secondary RPF cases. Eleven patients only received drug therapy and 6 patients underwent surgery. The conditions improved in most patients, except that one patient died of tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initial symptoms of RPF are not specific. For patients with positive laboratory and radiological examination results, further imagings, surgeries, or interventional therapy may be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-Wang
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000150:complications; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D005334:Fever / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014524:Urethral Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D005719:gamma-Globulins