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Sonographically demonstrated thickening of the renal pelvis in children
D J Alton1, G W LeQuesne, R Gent
1Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Adelaide Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia.
Insights
Renal pelvic wall thickening is a common finding with many potential causes, not just infection. This study found diverse reasons for thickening, indicating it
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Thickening of the renal pelvis wall is often attributed to infection, allograft rejection, or non-specific causes.
- Previous studies have suggested various etiologies for this sonographic finding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diverse causes of sonographically demonstrable renal pelvic wall thickening in native kidneys.
- To determine the specificity of renal pelvic thickening as an indicator of infection.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of clinical data, imaging studies (including cystography), and pathology reports.
- Analysis of 35 patients with 41 affected renal pelves.
Main Results:
- Infection was identified in less than 50% of patients.
- Other identified causes included obstruction, surgical history, and chemical-induced edema.
- Vesicoureteral reflux was present in 50% of patients evaluated by cystography.
Conclusions:
- Renal pelvic wall thickening is a non-specific imaging finding.
- A wide range of conditions can lead to renal pelvic thickening, necessitating further investigation beyond sonography.
Abstract:
Thickening of the wall of the renal pelvis has been attributed to infection, to rejection in allografts and to non-specific causes by different authors. We reviewed the clinical data, imaging studies and pathology of 35 patients with sonographically demonstrable thickening in 41 renal pelves of native kidneys. Our findings are that less than 50% of the patients had infection. The others had a wide variety of apparent causes for the thickening which include obstruction, surgery, edema induced by chemicals and other processes. Vesicoureteral reflux was demonstrated in 50% of the patients studied by cystography. We concluded that renal pelvic thickening is a non-specific finding.