Renal cortical necrosis

Renal cortical necrosis (RCN, also diffuse bilateral renal cortical necrosis (BRCN), diffuse cortical necrosis, acute cortical necrosis, or acute kidney failure with acute cortical necrosis) is a rare cause of acute kidney failure. The condition is "usually caused by significantly diminished arterial perfusion of the kidneys due to spasms of the feeding arteries, microvascular injury, or disseminated intravascular coagulation" and is the pathological progression of acute tubular necrosis. It is frequently associated with obstetric catastrophes such as abruptio placentae and septic shock, and is three times more common in developing nations versus industrialized nations (2% versus 6% in causes of acute kidney failure).