Acute Renal Failure Due to Bile Cast Nephropathy: An Overlooked Cause of Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury in the setting of hyperbilirubinemia presents a diagnostic challenge. Hepatorenal syndrome takes precedence as a diagnosis in these cases. Bile cast nephropathy is a diagnosis that gets relatively low consideration. The most accurate diagnostic tool for bile cast nephropathy is a renal biopsy, which may present a challenge in certain clinical settings. There are no set guidelines for its management. While the exact cause of the condition is unknown, it is presumed to be secondary to multiple concurrent insults to the kidney including direct toxicity from bile acids, obstruction caused by bile casts, and systemic hypo-perfusion from vasodilation. It is believed that plasmapheresis and albumin dialysis have been associated with some recovery of renal function. We present a case of acute renal failure in a patient with obstructive jaundice, who responded to dialysis and biliary drain insertion.