Hydronephrosis update and questions

CantWait2Be

ds was born on the 6th,? his left kidney is enlarged (hydronephrosis) which was discovered at an u/s I had due to gd.? He had an u/s in the hospital when he was 2 days old and it showed it's still enlarged.? So ped uro has us coming back on July 20th to do another u/s and a vcug (to rule out reflux).? I thought she said most cases of blockage (upjo, which she thinks it is) resolve themselves but then the paperwork she gave me indicates most blockages require surgery and reflux usually resolves itself.? So i'm a bit confused and definately concerned that my son may require surgery.? ds is on antibiotic to prevent infection of his kidney in the mean time.? I'm not thrilled with him having exposure to radiation so young but want to get his kidney issue treated/resolved. anyone else have experience with hydronephrosis? is there a difference between an obstruction and a blockage?

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We discovered DS had hydronephrosis at 6 days old when he was hospitalized with a fever. They did a renal ultrasound just to be sure everything was OK, it wasn't. There was no UTI, btw.

He received another US at 2 months, which still showed hydro. He wasn't getting any infections so we did not start antibiotics. We did another follow-up US at 12 months, 18 months and 24 months. At 24 months we also did a VCUG.

At 18 months we discovered the hydro. was gone, however, his kidneys were not an average size, they were too small. At 24 months, the pediatrician stated his kidneys had not grown at all so we had a VCUG to test function.

 We switched doctors when the Pedi. stated she wasn't going to give him another ultrasound for a year. If a child's kidneys were not growing and were at risk for failure, wouldn't they be doing more preventative work or referring to a specialist?

The new Dr. took a look at all of his US and found that his kidneys were on the small side of average, but average nonetheless. We have another followup ultrasound when he turns 3. 

I believe a lot of children outgrow hydronephrosis. Just make sure they are staying on top of everything and don't be afraid to ask questions.

rock-elle

::Coming out of lurking, also waving hi to CantWait2B..::

Girl I remember you from TTCAL/PgAL!!

Anywho, at my A/S an enlarged Left kidney was noted and I've been monitored by a perinatologist and go in for US every 4w or so.  LO has a hugely dilated upper pole of his left kidney as well as a megaureter on the L side, as well as a possible duplicated collecting system on his left side.  However he has good amount of fluid around him so luckily thats not an issue.

Our peds uro has explained that its possible that if there is enough fluid built up in the kidney that it creates a larger amount of pressure on the ureter which could cause a ureterocele or a cystocele on the bladder where the ureter connects to the bladder, kind of like as if a hose was getting kinked off because of too much pressure. That would need to be corrected in surgery.

If there is a blockage or if there is a great amount of reflux that could also be corrected in surgery.  A month after LO arrives he'll also have a vcug, renal US, and a renogram.  All to confirm diagnosis and test functionality.

About 6-8mos he'll either have one of two surgeries, either to correct the cystocele or a partial nephrectomy (for something my LO is rocking, not yours in this case!) Uro thinks the upper part of his kidney may not be fully functional..

Anyways, PM me over on PgAL if you want to chat I hope all is well with LO's kidney!!

CantWait2Be

hey I remember you too!  How are you?  Seems like you are in a similar boat as me with regards to your pregnancy (gd and now the hydronephrosis).  I hope things go well for your lo too.  These boys are already keeping us on our toes!