Polycystic kidney in a foetus.

ABSTRACT

Polycystic kidney disease is one of the life-threatening inherited disorder summated by the development of bilateral or unilateral renal cysts that might lead to renal failure in due course of time. This disorder affects 1 in 1000 live births. A still born male human foetus of 31 weeks gestation was brought from one of the private nursing homes by post graduate students for study of foetal anomalies as part of their project work. During dissection of the foetus, the kidneys were found to be of 8 cms in length and 5.5 cms in width which were almost of the adult size. The kidneys were subjected to histological examination. Microscopic examination revealed scanty cortical areas with glomeruli and proximal convoluted tubules with large cystic cavities at the juxta cortical regions.