Did You Know?

Did you know....About 1 in every 300 fetus has one kidney affected by hydronephrosis and about 1 in every 600 fetus have both kidneys affected by hydronephrosis. Only two percent of the population has Hydronephrosis that is above a grade 5, which is considered severely obstructed, usually resulting in surgery? -Olive was a grade 8 in her left kidney and a grade 5 in her right when she was born.

Did you know.... Hydronephrosis is distension and dilation of the renal pelvis and calyces, usually caused by obstruction of the free flow of urine from the kidney, leading to progressive atrophy of the kidney. - Olive had a large sist at the base of her left kidney's ureter entering the bladder.

Did you know.... Studies suggest that as many as 2% of all prenatal ultrasound examinations reveal some degree of hydronephrosis, making it one of the most commonly detected abnormalities in pregnancy. It is not clear why the ureter becomes blocked during development. It is more often seen in boys than girls. -Of course Olive has to be one of the girls that has it. (sarcasim)

Did you know... Ultrasound can detect the fetal kidneys and bladder by 14 or 15 weeks gestation  It is often diagnosed before a baby is born, as the enlarged kidneys can be seen on an ultrasound scan. - Thank God my blood pressure was out of control during my pregnancy causing me to see a high risk doctor, who found the hydronephrosis because of the extra ultrasounds.

Did you know... Amniocentesis to rule out a hydronephrosis in the baby can also be performed if you like. You will have periodic sonograms to monitor the baby’s kidneys and fluid; in cases of bilateral UPJ obstruction or when a kidney is missing or cystic in appearance, ultrasound may be repeated every 2-3 weeks to check the obstruction and level of amniotic fluid. -We had 2 ultrasounds weekly for the last 3 months of my pregnancy because of the severity of Olive's Hydronephrosis.

Did you know... Almost all babies with prenatal diagnosis of hydronephrosis may be given antibiotics to lower the chances for a urinary-tract infection, a common problem linked to hydronephrosis. - Olive has been taking antibiotics daily since she was born and gone through 11 different types of antibiotics. Only leaving her with 2 more options of antibiotics safe for a child her age.

Did you know...An ultrasound of kidney and a special x-ray called a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) will be done to fully determine how the cystic kidney is affected and make sure the other kidney is normal. -Olive's first VCUG was done when she was 3 days old and she has had one every 4 months since. Her next VCUG (in 10 days) will determine if we keep her left kidney or not.

 

Did you know... Minimal hydronephrosis is not genetic and is not believed to run in families. However, given that hydronephrosis is so commonly detected in pregnancy, it may be coincidentally detected in future pregnancies. If UPJ obstruction is determined to be the cause of the hydronephrosis, the chances for future children with the same obstruction are believed to be as high as 50%. - Olive's doctor assures me that the chances of my next baby having any obstruction of her ureters is less than .5%. I trust him.

 

Did you know... Certain genetic conditions can cause the kidneys to have cysts, and these generally carry a 25% for future children to have the same condition. Regardless of the cause, you should have a good prenatal ultrasound examination in the second trimester with all future pregnancies to check the developing kidneys and bladder. - Every pregnancy I have from here on out will be closely managed by a high risk doctor because of my history with Olive.

 

Did you know... My daught not only has Hydronephrosis but also Duplicated Kidneys? She was born with 3 functioning kidneys. Her third kidney is 1/3 the size of her other two but does a better job than her left kidney (meaning it has more functioning tissue) - If we have to remove her left kidney (the one with the most issues) in the future, she could survive, like a normal child, with her other two.