Kidney pyelectasis is harmless in itself, but it can be one of the symptoms of other diseases. The disease is asymptomatic, therefore it is detected only with ultrasound. In newborns, it is often the result of functional immaturity of the urinary organs.
Pyelectasis of the kidneys is a pathological enlargement of the renal pelvis. Most often it is a sign of urinary tract pathology. In newborns, it is detected by ultrasound. Sometimes the diagnosis is made to the fetus, in the second trimester of pregnancy. In boys, pyelectasis occurs 5 times more often than in girls.
Causes of pyelectasis
This pathology can be bilateral or unilateral. Usually the fetus has a right-sided disorder. It can appear against the background of genetic prerequisites, arise as a result of mother's illnesses during pregnancy, taking certain medications.
In some cases, the expansion of the pelvis is associated with the appearance of an obstacle in the path of the outflow of urine. The source is the narrow urinary tract, improper outflow of urine, increased pressure in the organs. Much less often, an increase in the pelvis is found in urolithiasis, when the stone is in the ureter or in the organ itself. In premature babies, pyelectasis occurs against the background of the underdevelopment of the entire genitourinary system. In this case, as the organs mature, the disease disappears without a trace.
Danger of illness
The main problem that this disease can lead to is the development of pathological processes in the genitourinary system. Since bilateral impairment is most often physiological, it can pass by the time the baby is born. If this did not happen, then in the first year of life, doctors carefully monitor the development of the disease in the baby. During this period, the functional load on all organs increases, therefore the first year is considered decisive for the manifestation of most defects. If the disease appeared due to a violation of the outflow of urine, then with improper treatment, inflammation of the kidney or its sclerosis can occur.
Diagnostics of the pyelectasis
With a small pathology, it is necessary for the child to undergo an ultrasound every 3 months. If an infectious process joins, then a full range of diagnostic measures is prescribed, which include a radioisotope study of the kidneys, urography, cystography. Thanks to this, the degree of violation, the cause of the disease, is determined.
Pyeloectasia treatment
Since the disease often disappears with the maturation of organs and systems, one observation is sometimes sufficient. In some cases, a nephrologist or urologist prescribes conservative methods of exposure. Surgical treatment is necessary with the progression of the expansion of the pelvis, a decrease in kidney function.
