TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS AND CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE - POTENTIAL CONFUSION WITH POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE

The development of chronic renal failure in a nineteen year old girl as a result of tuberous sclerosis is described in detail. Significant features of the clinical course included the discovery of enlarged kidneys at fourteen months of age, the cutaneous and central nervous system manifestations of tuberous sclerosis in the absence of intellectual impairment, the progressive loss of renal function resulting in uremia by the mid-teens, and recurrent episodes of abdominal pain resembling peritonitis. The potential confusion between this entity and polycystic kidney disease and the means of distinguishing between the two is emphasized. © 1969.