Outcome of apparent ureteropelvic junction obstruction identified by investigation of fetal hydronephrosis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the outcome of prenatally detected ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) managed with a more conservative protocol. METHODS: The records and imaging studies of 77 consecutive neonates with UPJO identified by fetal hydronephrosis were reviewed. A nonoperative approach was attempted in patients with mild/moderate pelvic dilatation, renal units with good function as ascertained by DMSA scan and a non-obstructed pattern on DTPA. Otherwise, the patients were managed surgically by pyeloplasty. Both groups were prospectively followed and the imaging studies were performed before and after the initial approach and at one-year intervals thereafter. RESULTS: Of the 77 infants (85 units), 39 were submitted to surgery (33 pyeloplasty and 7 nephrectomy) and 38 were conservatively managed. During follow-up, 9 (24%) of 38 patients in the non-operative group presented renal function deterioration and 3 presented with urinary infections and were submitted to pyeloplasty. Of the 39 patients surgically managed, 76% presented improvement of hydronephrosis and 90% showed a non-obstructed pattern on diuretic renography. The differential renal uptake, as measured by DMSA scan, remained stable in the three groups analyzed (conservative, initial pyeloplasty, and delayed pyeloplasty). There was a minimal improvement in those units submitted to pyeloplasty with impaired renal function at baseline (< 40%). Mean renal uptake was 28.6% at admission and 33.9% at the end of follow-up. CONCLUSION: There was a wide spectrum of ureteropelvic junction stenosis. Surgical intervention in a subgroup of patients with severe hydronephrosis and impaired function may possibly improve or preserve renal parenchyma. Conversely, conservative management and clinical follow-up are safe and desirable for the subgroup with mild/moderate pelvic dilatation and preserved renal function.

Prognostic factors in prenatally-detected posterior urethral valves: a multivariate analysis.

To identify prognostic factors associated with chronic renal insufficiency in children with posterior urethral valves (PUV), 22 children with PUV were submitted to a systematic protocol and prospectively followed. Prognostic factors associated with fetal echography and clinical and laboratory findings were studied on admission. Median follow-up was 76 months. The analysis was conducted in two steps: in univariate analysis, variables associated with adverse outcome were identified by the Kaplan-Meier method. The variables that were significantly associated with adverse outcome were then included in a multivariate analysis using the Cox model. Eleven patients (50%) developed chronic renal failure (CRF) during follow-up. After adjustment by the multivariate model, four factors were identified as independent predictors of adverse outcome: oligohydramnios (relative risk [RR] = 10.6, 95% CI = 2.7 - 77, P = 0.02), ventilatory support (RR = 6, 95% CI = 2 - 24, P = 0.01), urea higher than 40 mg/dl (RR = 3.7, 95% CI = 0.92 - 15.0, P = 0.06), and bilateral vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) (RR = 6.1, 95% CI = 1.25 - 30, P = 0.02). On the other hand, the presence of unilateral VUR was a protective factor against the development of CRF or death during follow-up (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87 - 0.98, P = 0.05).

Curso clínico da válvula de uretra posterior detectada intra-útero: seguimento a longo prazo / Clinical course of posterior urethra detected intra-uterus : long follow-up

Com o objetivo de avaliar o curso clínico da VUP identificada na vida fetal, foram estudadas 15 crianças prospectivamente com o objetivo de avaliar o curso clínico da válvula de uretra posterior (VUP). Pacientes com hidronefrose detectada no pré-natal foram avaliados no período pós-natal, submetidos a um protocolo sistemático e seguidos prospectivamente. Após início daquimioprofilaxia, a avaliaçäo de imagens consistiu de ultrasonografia (US), uretrocistografia miccional (UCM) e cintilografia estática por DMSA. Nos casos confirmados de VUP, as crianças foram submetidas a vesicostomia e seguidas com avaliaçöes clínicas e laboratoriais periódicas. Quinze meninos foram identificados como portadores de VUP entre 1989 e 1998. A média de idade do diagnóstico pré-natal foi de 30 meses. O tempo médio de seguimento foi de 40 meses. Das 15 crianças acompanhadas, 7 (47 porcento) evoluíram com isuficiência renal crônica (IRC) e 6 (40 porcento) faleceram. O óbito esteve associado à perda da funçäo renal (RR = 7, p=0,001). Apesar do diagnóstico precoce, a VUP continua a representar um desafio para a área da nefrologia pediátrica, e os riscos de perda da funçäo renal e de óbito se mantêm elevado