Pregnancy & Motherhood Forum

by **jesscc** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:03 pm

I am worried. My 20 week ultrasound (I'm 21 weeks today) showed my baby has two dilated kidneys. The Dr. says this sometimes resolves itself, but it can also be a blockage or other problem and is considered a soft marker for downs. I don't go back for 7 weeks for them to recheck. I've had an NT scan and the other screen, which were negative for downs, but I'm really worried about the kidneys. Does anyone have experience with this? Please help.

by **Mom22boys1** » Wed May 28, 2008 6:12 pm

My little one is missing a kidney for now. We go back for monthly ultrasounds to see if it will miraculously reappear and make sure the baby is growing as she should be and they will be checking on bladder function (the baby's, it was full when we had the u/s yesterday) and ensuring the amniotic fluid level is normal.

You are in my thoughts. :hb:

Good luck at your next u/s.

by **jesscc** » Wed May 28, 2008 8:29 pm

Thanks for writing. Good luck to you too. I am so glad the one kidney is functioning properly, that sounds very promising. I know adults can get by just fine with one kidney and I hope this is the case for your little one!

by **Melanie20012001** » Thu May 29, 2008 7:39 am

Jess i was diagnosed with this at 24 week by all accounts it is fairly common and 80% cases are resolved by the time of birth

My little boy had a scan at 1 day old and it was still the same so he was started on antibiotics. He has had several other tests and both kidneys work dine even though large so the consultant has stopped the antibiotics and will rescan him when he is a year old.

Other than that he is a very healthy and active 7 month old.

Hope things work out for you and KUP

by **jesscc** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:31 am

Oh, thank you! What an adorable little guy, congratulations. Was it in both kidneys? Mine is. I appreciate knowing your story, it really helps.

by **hoping4another** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:11 pm

Hello Jess
I am sorry that you are going through this.
I am going through the same thing right now and I am very scared. We were just sent to a specialty clinic (because my 20 week u/s showed a dilated ureter). They found that both of the kidneys are dilated as well as both of the ureters. The amniotic fluid so far is good, but they are worried about kidney damage. They won't know for sure until after the baby is born. I have to follow up again in 4 weeks with another u/s.

by **jesscc** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:23 pm

Hoping - I am so sorry to hear that. I know how you feel. It is really hard to wait and hope for the best. I have to wait until July to see how things are developing--really hard.

Does the specialist have any predictions or thoughts on how these situations usually progress? Please keep me posted. Thanks for writing.

by **hoping4another** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:00 pm

The waiting and not knowing is the hardest part right now. I feel like I am going through hell. We met with the perinatologist and he didn't offer a whole lot. What he said is that there may be a blockage in the urethra (which I have found out is called posterior urethral valve.... I looked it up and it only worries me more). He said that he doesn't know if the baby has kidney damage, he said that it is good that the amniotic fluid level is still good.... he also said that we need to watch that level to make sure that it doesn't go down. If that happens, the prognosis is definitely not good.
We will be meeting with the urologist next time, so hopefully we will have more answers then. In the mean time, we are just trying to get by with prayers and the support of friends and family.
I have talked to 2 other people that have had babies with just the kidneys dilated and their outcomes were good.
Good luck and let me know about your journey as well.

by **jesscc** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:17 pm

Now, that's interesting. My perinatologist, who did the u/s and discovered the kidney dilation, said that a blockage is relatively easy to fix as soon as the baby is born. She said that if it's a blockage, that's in a sense good, because it's fixable and treatable after birth. She didn't mention whether or not our case looked like a blockage though, although next time I will be armed and ready to ask her questions. I was so shocked when she said the kidneys were dilated (I had expected / hoped things were fine) that I was taken aback and I don't return until July.

I'll keep you in my thoughts, and please keep me posted. I am so sorry that you too are going through this. I agree, it's the waiting and not knowing that's so difficult. I feel like I should DO something, and from what I understand, there's nothing I can do.

by **jesscc** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:19 pm

Thank you for the information JT. What you said really concerns me, but it makes sense and gives me further questions to ask my Dr. You may have really helped me here. I am so sorry for your loss. I noticed in your ticker that you recently had a baby - congratulations!

by **hoping4another** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:44 pm

Jess,
From what I understand also, is that having dilated kidneys is actually something that is a little more common than having dilated kidneys and ureters. I think that there are several cases of dilated kidneys even reversing on its own.
With a lower blockage (which my doc is suspecting due to the dilated ureters) it is a little bit more complicated and dangerous from what I was told.

jtsummers: I am so very sorry about the loss of your son. I am sure that was incredibly devastating. Did your doctor talk about a posterior urethral valve? I am just praying that the amniotic fluid holds out as long as possible. Did your doctor find the defect at the 20 week u/s? Thank you for sharing your personal story.

by **hoping4another** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:49 pm

jtsummers: Thank you for sharing your story, what a painful experience. How did you (do you) cope with such a loss? My heart aches for those who have gone through such a loss....
I am still waiting to hear back from the Fetal Medicine center of when my next appt is. I just feel so darn anxious most of the time, I just hope that I can get through all of this with my sanity.. Thank gooness for family and prayer.