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Prenatal findings associated with a unilateral nonfunctioning or absent kidney
J Mandell1, H J Paltiel, C A Peters
1Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Journal of Urology
|July 1, 1994
Summary
Prenatal imaging identified fetal kidney conditions like multicystic dysplasia, obstructive uropathy, and urinoma. These findings help understand unilateral nonfunctioning kidneys and associated contralateral kidney abnormalities such as vesicoureteral reflux.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Fetal Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Unilateral nonfunctioning kidneys (cystic, dysplastic, or absent) are diagnosed postnatally.
- Prenatal imaging is crucial for understanding the development of these renal anomalies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate prenatal findings in infants with unilateral nonfunctioning kidneys.
- To elucidate the prenatal pathophysiology of congenital cystic, dysplastic, or absent kidneys.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 38 cases with prenatal and postnatal renal imaging.
- Analysis of fetal renal conditions and postnatal outcomes.
Main Results:
- Common prenatal findings included typical multicystic dysplasia (30 cases), obstructive uropathy (4 cases), and perinephric urinoma (1 case).
- Small echogenic kidneys were observed in 3 cases.
- Postnatal imaging revealed abnormalities in 30% of contralateral kidneys, most commonly vesicoureteral reflux (23% of cases).
Conclusions:
- Prenatal imaging accurately identifies various fetal renal conditions leading to unilateral kidney dysfunction.
- Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract, including contralateral abnormalities like vesicoureteral reflux, are associated with these conditions.