Enlarged tube into kidney. Anyones bub have this?

[mordygordy]

Had to have 2 scans in 2 weeks first bc fluid level around baby was/is low and then bc the bllod through cord was low but it was fine last scan and must have been bc bub was laying on the cord. BUT NOW...

Baby has an enlarged tube that goes into the kidney apparently. They picked it up in my last ultrasound (34weeks). Mydr told me they will have to give baby a scan when he is 3 weeks old.

Anyone elses bub had this in pregnancy? If so what happened? Anyone know anything about it that they could tell me.

[Mrs Awesome]

Hi there!
My son was diagnosed with this on my 20 week scan. We then had a follow up scan at 32 weeks and another when he was 3 weeks old.

Can you remember how dilated (enlarged) it was? My sons was 12mm.

What the dr is probably referring to is dilation of the renal pelvis or ureter. I'm not sure how much of an understanding of anatomy you have, so I will try to make this as basic as I can. (excuse me if it's too basic).....
Urine is produced in the kidneys, and drain from them via tubes called ureters. It drains to the bladder and then is passed via the urethra into the toilet/nappy. Dilation (enlargement) is often found in the renal pelvis which is where the kidneys meet the ureters. This can be a problem because urine can sit in the dilated section and can also backflow into the kidneys. Occasionaly when urine backflows into the kidneys, it can take bugs in with it and cause kidney infections.

After your baby has his/her ultrasound at 3 weeks, if the dilation is still there, they will send him for some more tests. If they show backflow into the kidney, they will put him on a daily dose of antibiotics until he us toilet trained. Most kids will outgrow this problem on their own, with a small number needing surgery down the track.

My son is 1 and has had 4 kidney Infections since he was born. He was circumcised to reduce the risk of infections and has had none since this was done in feb. He is still on daily antibiotics. His last scan showed the dilation has gone from 12 to 7mm, so it looks like it's getting better on it's own.

Hope some of that info helps. Feel free to pm me if you have other questions or want to chat.

[RiffRaffMama]

My son was diagnosed with this at my 18 week scan too. I was rescanned at about 28 weeks and the problem had resolved itself. So there is a chance it could still right itself. Best wishes.

[chicken and eggs mum]

We too had this.

picked up at 30 weeks scan, rescanned at 34 weeks, scan when bub was 2 days old, then at 3 weeks. enlargement has almost disappeared with no ill affects.

Some bubs it can self correct - as it did in my DD, but as previous posters have said more tests, anitbiotics and srugery may be needed.

Good luck. Try not to stress until you know exactly what you are dealing with!! Easier said than done I know!!!

[icugal]

Yep.. My DS2 had this as well (hydronephrosis). It was picked up at my scan when I was 32 weeks pregnant. He had to have an ultrasound at birth, at six weeks and then at four months. Luckily it resolved by itself and he's had no further issues.

Good luck.. I hope your bub has a mild case and doesn't require any ongoing treatment.

[Amphictyonis]

My baby had this due to a block between his kidney and bladder and had surgery at 2days then 7days then 2mths.
He is in perfect health now.

[kjw125]

Hi - I just got the results today that mine has this. I have to have another scan at 32 weeks to check on it. Dr mentioned worse case that it could result in surgery in the womb?? any one else heard of this?

Also - does this mean my baby is a boy? I have heard that this is more common in boys?? Is that true??

[naebie]

Hi - I just got the results today that mine has this. I have to have another scan at 32 weeks to check on it. Dr mentioned worse case that it could result in surgery in the womb?? any one else heard of this?

Also - does this mean my baby is a boy? I have heard that this is more common in boys?? Is that true??

Hi, I'm not too sure about the surgery in the womb, but I wanted to say that although it is more common for boys, my DD had it picked up on 2 of her scans, though it had resolved itself by the time she was 6 weeks old.

I was convinced I was having a boy, but nope, she's a girl!

[Peajae]

I had this myself as a baby. What I had was called vesicoureteric reflux, and was basically urine flowing back up the ureter to towards the kidney due to that ureter implanting into the bladder at the wrong angle. The ureter then becomes enlarged/dilated due to the backflow. I wasn't diagnosed until I was a few months old (obviously ultrasound technology has improved a lot in the last 29 years!). I was on prophylactic antibiotics until I was 3 when I had corrective surgery. It never caused me any problems as a baby, and I have had no ongoing problems from it either. The only thing it impacts on for me is that my obstetrician will take things a bit slower with the incisions for my CS in Nov because my scar is where they cut for a CS. He just has to go a bit slower in case things have healed a bit oddly, but he's not anticipating any problems.

As previous posters have mentioned, most children will grow out of it and not require surgery. My understanding from researching it recently is that back when I was little it was common for them to do the surgery, but if it was today they may not have actually done it due to new research etc because I had a fairly mild case.

Best of luck!

[Lilahh]

Hi my son had this, and I had this as a baby. My son outgrew it by his 34 week scan and was fine. They did tell us that the absolute worse case scenario would be in uteruo surgery but that is extremely rare.

To put it in perspective: I had it very severely as a baby, with chronic UTIs and many other health issues, I was on antibiotics for most of my childhood. Mine was so bad that the entire kidney and tube had to be removed as it was so damaged, but they didn't have to do this until I was nearly 5 years old as they managed it with drugs before then. So the likelihood of having to do a surgery in utero is extremely rare!! It can be managed other ways as Buddy2008 says with her DS.

And it doesnt mean the baby is a boy... (Im a girl!) but a lot more boys have it.

Honestly don't worry, it is quite common and only severe in a few cases.