Prenatal hydronephrosis: Bridging pre- and postnatal management

Abstract

Urinary tract dilation (UTD), including hydronephrosis (HN) is the most common prenatally detected anomaly and affects up to 1%–2% of pregnancies. Postnatally, it resolves without surgical intervention in approximately 75%–80% of children, however this may take several years to occur, necessitating repeated clinic visits and additional invasive testing for many. For the remainder, a surgical intervention will be offered to relieve obstruction or to correct vesicoureteral reflux. During the monitoring period, many of these infants will be offered continuous antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of urinary tract infections, however this remains a controversial topic among pediatric urologists and nephrologists. Herein, we present an up-to-date review of the early management of prenatally detected UTD including timing of postnatal imaging, the use of antibiotics, when circumcision may be beneficial and long term outcomes of the most common HN etiologies. We also propose a decision making tool to help guide the care of infants with UTD.