Research Article

Characteristics and Outcome of Babies with Antenatal Renal Pelvis Dilatation (RPD)

Ayesha Siddique, Rafia Gul, Zahid Anwar, Nida Siddique, Faiza Yasin, Zunaira Naeem Malik

Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences · Vol. 16, No. 11 · Published November 2022 · DOI: 10.53350/pjmhs20221611228

iD ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0605-7089 · View All Publications by Dr. Rafia Gul

In Brief

Antenatal renal pelvis dilatation (RPD) means swelling of the kidney’s drainage area, seen on a pregnancy ultrasound. It is the most common kidney anomaly found before birth. This study followed newborns with RPD to see how many got better on their own and which babies were more likely to keep the problem.

Key Points

• A prospective, observational study at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore, from April 2021 to March 2022, covering 130 kidneys in 91 newborns (over 28 weeks’ gestation) with RPD found before birth. Each baby had an ultrasound at 24 to 72 hours of life.
• About 71% of cases settled on their own (transient RPD), while roughly one in four stayed (persistent RPD). Only 5% had a severe persistent form.
• Persistence was more likely with maternal anemia, low amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios), maternal diabetes, birth before 37 weeks, birth weight under 3 kg, and urinary tract problems such as PUJ obstruction, posterior urethral valves and vesicoureteral reflux.
• Persistence was strongly linked to how severe the dilatation was (r = 0.869), which can help guide follow-up of these babies.

Renal Pelvis DilatationAntenatalPostnatalPUJ ObstructionNeonatal KidneyUltrasonography

Published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, Vol. 16, No. 11 (November 2022). PDF shared by the authors.