Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis associated with an arteritis.

The first report in the world literature of the condition which is now generally known as idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis was that of Albarran (1905), but the first report in the English language did not appear until that of Ormond (1948). Since then many further case reports have been published, but the aetiology of the condition remains obscure. The disease usually presents as a urological problem when the mass of retroperitoneal fibrous tissue causes deviation or obstruction of one or both ureters often resulting in hydronephrosis. It has become apparent, however, that the manifestations of the disease may not be limited to the pressure effects of the retroperitoneal lesion on neighbouring structures and that the disease may present as a systemic disturbance.