[Urinary sediment in acute renal failure].

Over a one-year period, 31 episodes of acute renal failure in children have been studied for urine sediment by contrast phase microscopy (maintained diuresis: 15, oligoanuria: 16, dialysed patients: 9). The etiologies of acute renal failure were: sepsis = 8; nephrotoxicity = 7; hemolytic uremic syndrome = 5; acute nephritic syndrome = 3; hemodynamical changes = 4; obstructive renal failure = 2; others = 3; acute rejections after renal allograft were excluded. The first urine sediment examination was performed 5 days after the onset of renal failure, and has been controlled in 11 children. In 28 cases (90%), there was a good correlation between clinical, biological, ultrasonographic and pathological (4 cases) data. The mechanism of renal failure has been determined by urine sediment examination in most cases, sometimes allowing to rectify a previous diagnosis. The value of this examination seems to be more of anatomoclinical than of prognostic interest, mainly for definite (hemolytic uremic syndrome) or polyfactorial (oncohematological diseases) renal dysfunctions.