Need info on fetal dilated kidneys

[buttons1721]

My friend is due in less than 2 weeks and the doctor scared her at her last visit. He told her that the baby had fetal dilated kidneys, but didn't tell her what that was. We've been trying to do research on the subject, but I'm coming up empty handed.

Has anyone ever heard of this & what this means for the baby or what caused it.?.

Any info is appreciated!

[orca]

It’s probably hydronephrosis. Can’t say for sure (obviously) but it is often seen in ultrasounds and resolves itself before or just after the birth. Usually it is because of reflux that causes the urine to back up into the kidney which, in turn, causes the dilation. It is, apparently, one of the most common defects seen in new born baby boys but can also be seen in girls as well. My niece was diagnosed with hydronephrosis in utero and is totally fine, nothing has ever been done to treat it. She is followed up at a children’s hospital once a year or so to ensure things are still working properly. My ds was born with it (not diagnosed in utero) and was 3 weeks old with a diaper full of blood and a raging UTI before we knew anything about it. Lots of antibiotics and many, many tests later it was found to be an immaturity in the ureter that will resolve itself in time. There have been many discussions about this on MDC and if you search hydronephrosis you might get some other info from the many other mamas who have been through it. It can be a big deal and can be no big deal. Tell her to see a specialist (a nephrologist) and find out the extent of his condition so a plan can be made. I personally know many children who have this condition and in every case it has been a minor blip in their otherwise healthy selves.

This link was very helpful to me when I was first given my ds diagnosis.

http://www.duj.com/hydronephrosis.html

[Trishy]

When I was pg with my ds2 my midterm unltrasound indicated that one of his kidneys was dialted more than it should be. I had a follow up ultrasound at term and it was about the same. Ds2 was born perfectly healthy and has not had any urinary tract or kidney infections.

[buttons1721]

Thansk!

I'll pass along this info to her.

I just hated that the doctor would scare her w/ this kind of news so late in the pregnancy -- especially w/out fully explaining himself!

[Ooey]

Funny, I just posted about this... We were recently told that my 21week ultrasound showed "mild Pelviectasis" in the baby's left kidney, and a follow up ultrasound is recommended. Apparently this means that the kidney appears enlarged and this *could* be due to a back up of urine into the kidney indicating kidney function problems. Why it took this long for us to hear about this is beyond me.

Today I got to talk to the doctor about it and she said said that it's not un common for this to show up on u/s and even suggested that the ultrasound tec may have just said that so we would have to pay to go back and have another ultrasound. She said we can either have another u/s or wait until she is born and have an ultrasound preformed on her to check it out. She made it sound like having another ultrasound now would be pointless becaus it could be just as "inconclusive" as the last one. Yet when I asked her if the baby would really need the tests after birth even if she seemed perfectly fine and healthy she said yes.

I don't want to have another ultrasound, and I don't really want to put my newborn baby through testing that is not necsisary. I am going out of my way to make sure that my baby has a gentle non-medicalized birth at home, and bringing her into the hospital right after birth for something like this is just a nightmare to me. I am really sorry that I ever had the ultrasound, as it did nothing but cause worry and there is nothing we can do about this right now anyway.

Has anyone else had a simmilar experience? I am wondering how common this kind of thing is, and if I should just go ahead and get the follow-up ultrasound anyway.

[maybebaby]

Yup, had this issue with pg #2 and this time as well. Both girls, oddly enough, because it's true that it's more common in boys.

You'll want to know the degree of dilatation. If it's renal pelvic dilatation (and they usually call this "fluid on the kidneys") it can be mild or severe; if it's severe it's more appropriately called hydronephrosis. I believe if it's less than 5mm, everything's fine. From 5-10mm, it's mild. If it's over 10mm, it's hydronephrosis and there's more of a chance of there being issues at birth.

With my second pg, I didn't have all this info available to me (thank you internet! lol) and I didn't know anything about it. I don't know what her numbers were. We kept following it and it was there every time. Then after her birth (this was back in my hospital birthin' days) she had a quick u/s that showed no dilatation at all.

This time, I'm having another homebirth (third pg was homebirth) and I don't know if I'll take her in right away for the u/s. Likely, I'll take her in for a checkup - just to get her on the record - and I'll discuss it with my ped. It does seem they're much more laid back about it this time, they're not wanting me to follow up all the time and everything. But the dilatation is minor...was in the 7mm range and after she peed during the u/s it was in the 5mm range.

It all kind of depends on how severe it is, but in any case it is pretty common and in many cases resolves before birth. I wouldn't worry a lot over it, but it something to keep in mind if problems arise (like the pp mentioned, blood in urine, etc..)

[Monkimomma]

Thank you so much!

I have been terribly worried over the past few months about the U/S that said my baby had enlarged kidneys. After the second U/S the fluid had gone down a little bit (into the 7 range). All I ever seem to find on the internet is "worse case scenario" info which doesn't make me worry any less. I know that we aren't out of the woods yet, but I feel more at ease. Thanks ladies for your research!