Renal cortical necrosis and Purtscher's retinopathy in hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

A patient presented with acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis complicated by both renal cortical necrosis and Purtscher's retinopathy. Either of these two complications is rare and never before have both been reported in the same patient. The patient's renal insufficiency required hemodialysis; it gradually improved over two years when dialysis could be discontinued. The patient's retinopathy included bilateral hemorrhages and cotton wool spots; visual fields and acuity remained normal. Funduscopic lesions disappeared by three months after the acute event. These two rare vasculo-occlusive complications of pancreatitis simultaneously occurring in one individual might suggest complement-mediated leukostatic mechanisms.