Moderate and severe fetal pyelectasis: Correlation between prenatal aspects and postnatal outcome.

BACKGROUND: Renal pelvic dilatation (RPD) is a frequent finding in fetal ultrasound. The aim of the study is to correlate the prenatally detected moderate and severe pyelectasis with the postnatal outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis involving 90 cases of prenatally detected moderate and severe RPD referred to our prenatal diagnosis centre with 18 months of urological follow-up. Prenatal ultrasound was correlated with postnatal renal function, assessed by plasmatic creatinine and/or renal scintigraphy performed before surgery. RESULTS: Cases were divided between two groups according to postnatal management: group A including 35 newborns (38.9%) that needed surgical treatment and group B with 55 patients (61.1%) who were managed conservatively. The group A presented higher median RPD (18 mm, IQR 12-25 mm) compared to the group B (11 mm, IQR 10-14 mm). The most common anomaly detected within group A was pelvi-ureteric junction (PUI) obstruction (43%). Within group B 32 cases (58%) showed spontaneous resolution of hydronephrosis during postnatal follow up. In case of moderate pyelectasis the risk of postnatal surgery was 25% and raised to 60% for severe RPD. In our study, 29 newborns showed pathologic scintigraphies: 25 required surgery while 4 did not find indication for surgery due to ipsilateral renal function irreversible damage. 6 patients had high creatinine level (>0.6 mg/dl). 35 cases out of 90 (39%) developed monolateral irreversible renal function impairment. CONCLUSION: Moderate and severe RPD are often correlated with postnatal renal damage, therefore a close multidisciplinary follow-up is required. Prenatal scanning is highly predictive of postnatal outcome and can address properly the prenatal counseling.

Conducta médica posnatal ante la dilatación del tracto urinario superior fetal / Postnatal medical behavior in face a dilatation of fetal high urinary trac

El seguimiento sistemático del embarazo normal mediante el estudio ultrasonográfico materno-fetal ha demostrado que por cada 500 embarazos debemos esperar una anomalía importante del tracto urinario. La anomalía detectada con mayor frecuencia es la dilatación del tracto urinario superior, que si bien la mayoría de las veces no se traduce en una alteración importante, obliga a su estudio posnatal para poder valorar su significación. Una dilatación del tracto urinario superior puede ser la traducción de una hidronefrosis obstructiva por estenosis ureteropiélica, una hidronefrosis no obstructiva, un reflujo vesicoureteral o una pielectasia, y menos frecuentemente, puede ser la imagen de un doble sistema excretor con el superior obstruido, un megauréter obstructivo o no obstructivo, o una valva de uretra posterior en el sexo masculino. En esta revisión se presentan los criterios diagnósticos y el tratamiento clínico de las hidronefrosis y pielectasias, así como el estudio de los casos en que se sospecha reflujo vesicoureteral, y se relatan las anomalías encontradas en 318 niños en que el ultrasonido materno-fetal detectó alguna alteración del tracto urinario. Aunque no tan frecuente como las pielectasias y las hidronefrosis no obstructivas, las estenosis pieloureterales que producen obstrucción, pueden traer serias consecuencias sobre la función renal, que obligan a tomar decisiones médicas, y, en ocasiones, quirúrgicas, para mejorar la calidad de vida de estos niños(AU)

The systematic follow-up of the normal pregnancy by means of a mother-fetus ultrasonography study has demonstrated that for each 500 pregnancies, we must to expect a significant anomaly of urinary tract. The more frequent anomaly detected is the high urinary tract dilatation, which if not always it is a significant alteration, leads to a postnatal study to assess its significance. A high urinary tract dilatation may to give rise to an obstructive hydronephrosis due to ureteropyelitis anastomosis; a non-obstructive hydronephrosis, a vesicoureteral reflux or a pyelectasia and less frequently may be an image of double excretory system with the superior one obstructed, an obstructive or not megaureter, or a valve or the posterior urethra in male sex. In present review are showed the diagnostic criteria and the clinical treatment of the hydronephrosis and the pyelectasia, as well as the study cases with suspicion of vesicoureteral reflux mentioning the anomalies founded in 318 children in whom the mother-fetus ultrasound detected some alteration of the urinary tract. Although not so frequent as the non-obstructive pyelectasia and the hydronephrosis, the pyeloureteral stenosis producing obstruction, may give rise to serious consequences on the renal function leading to make a medical decision, and occasionally, of surgical type to improve the quality of life of these children(AU)