Ultrasound of fetus show problems with kidneys

[Key31]

I am about 23 weeks pregnant. I went for the normal 2nd ultra sound and the Tech could not see everthing. So, they sent me to a specialist ultrasound. I went there today, and the Dr found that there is fluid backing up in the tubes that are suppose to flush the fluid out of my baby's kidneys. The Dr said gthat this could change (get Better) throughout pregnancy or get better after birth. She also said that 1% of babies born with down symdrome hasthis kidney problem while a fetus. I am very concerned. I did not have any genetic testing done, and I am not sure if my baby may have down symdrome or not. Has anyone every had this issue with their fetus?

[Mosaic]

I have a friend with a similar finding on the ultrasound...it was gone later in pregnancy when they had another ultrasound, and they had no issues after that. Hopefully the same is true for you!!

[Calleiah]

Are they saying baby's ureters are dialated (how much)?  If so, it's called Hydronephrosis.  My 3rd baby had this and we checked again at 30ish weeks (it was still present).  I was sent to a Peri and a pediatric Nephrologist.  The Peri did an in depth sono and sent it to the Ped. Nephrologist.  When we met with the Nephrologist, here is what he had to say.  He was amazing, VERY evidence based.  He said of babies with this condition, only something like 20% will still have it at birth.  Of that 20% only 15% of those will still have it at 6 weeks of age.  Of those who still have it, only X% (dont remember) will have any issues with it (UTI's, etc).  And guess what.  We treat UTI's with antibiotics.  He said if we were in any other country in the world, it would be a non-issue all together.  He said if we needed reassurance, to bring baby in at 6 weeks for a sono of his kidneys/ureters.  He said to NOT let them sono the baby at birth, because they need time to resolve the issue on their own, and frequently do.  He said it wouldnt do any good to have the sono done at birth. 

Our son was born and has never had any issues, UTI's, etc.  We never felt the need to go back. 

Hope that helps.

[SunnyB1978]

My nephew is 3 and he had this during pregnancy.  They gave my sister several ultrasounds looking at this and then after the baby was born he had tests done.  It had fully corrected on one side by birth and mostly on the other.  At 6 months, it was fully corrected.  They didn't have to have any sort of treatment.  As far as Down's, there are a lot of other indicators that can be seen on ultrasound, so if they didn't mention any of the others, it is probably not likely.

[Espion]

Originally Posted by Calleiah 

Are they saying baby's ureters are dialated (how much)?  If so, it's called Hydronephrosis.  My 3rd baby had this and we checked again at 30ish weeks (it was still present).  I was sent to a Peri and a pediatric Nephrologist.  The Peri did an in depth sono and sent it to the Ped. Nephrologist.  When we met with the Nephrologist, here is what he had to say.  He was amazing, VERY evidence based.  He said of babies with this condition, only something like 20% will still have it at birth.  Of that 20% only 15% of those will still have it at 6 weeks of age.  Of those who still have it, only X% (dont remember) will have any issues with it (UTI's, etc).  And guess what.  We treat UTI's with antibiotics.  He said if we were in any other country in the world, it would be a non-issue all together.  He said if we needed reassurance, to bring baby in at 6 weeks for a sono of his kidneys/ureters.  He said to NOT let them sono the baby at birth, because they need time to resolve the issue on their own, and frequently do.  He said it wouldnt do any good to have the sono done at birth. 

Our son was born and has never had any issues, UTI's, etc.  We never felt the need to go back. 

Hope that helps.

I know this is old, but want to add pertinent info:  Calleiah is absolutely correct.  The vast majority of the time, this is nothing to be concerned about.  

But when is it something to be concerned about?  The degree and timing of the dilation matters.  The earlier and more severe the dilation, the stronger likelihood that it will persist postnatally.  At worst, this can be something that will require surgery to correct.  

The best time to have a post-natal sonogram is at least 24 - 48 hours after birth.  False negatives/positives can occur before then according to child's/mom's hydration status.  I would highly encourage at least a renal ultrasound at some point postnatally if persistent dilation is seen on prenatal ultrasound.  The child may not be symptomatic or get UTIs and can still lose kidney function.  (I don't mean to sound apocalyptic, but it does happen, albeit very rarely.)  

[Alenushka]

If you are concerned about genetic issues, the best way to go is to have consult with a genetic counselor