Renal malakoplakia simulating neoplasm in a child: successful medical management.

Renal malakoplakia (RM) is a rare granulomatous disorder of adults, with less than 8 cases reported in pediatric age group in the literature. Published cases of RM were collected form the archival literature by searching the MEDLINE database and by reviewing bibliographic references contained in articles on renal malakoplakia. Ninety-six cases of RM have been published over the past 37 years. Renal malakoplakia presents with fever, flank pain, and a palpable mass, which may be confused with a renal tumor or other infectious processes. The clinical diagnosis of renal malakoplakia is difficult and usually only proved by pathologic findings of Michaelis-Gutmann bodies after nephrectomy. We report a child with renal parenchymal malakoplakia presenting with a renal neoplasm and successfully treated medically with no recurrence in a five year follow-up period.