What should be the criteria of renal pelvic dilatation in fetal anomaly screening?

Abstract

Background: Different classification systems are used for diagnosing the renal pelvic dilatation in the fetus using imaging techniques in the antenatal period. The most commonly used parameter for the diagnosis of renal pelvic dilatation is the anteroposterior diameter (APD) of the renal pelvis in the transverse plane. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to compare the measurements of the renal pelvic dilatation in fetuses with the measurements reported in the literature together with their short-term follow-up results
in the postnatal period. Materials and Methods: The infants were included in the study if they were consulted with the pediatric surgery clinic due to the diagnosis of renal pelvic dilatation detected by measuring the APD of the renal pelvis in the transverse plane during an ultrasound examination when their mothers were screened for detecting fetal anomalies between July 2017 and February 2018 at the perinatology clinic. Results: The postnatal ultrasound examination, conducted for monitoring purposes, revealed that 82.7% (n=57) of the infants diagnosed with a dilatation of the renal pelvis had regression or resolution of the renal pelvic dilatation;
however, it was observed that it persisted in the postnatal period in 17.3% (n=12) of the patients. The classification of the renal pelvic dilatation in 47 fetuses diagnosed during the screening for fetal anomalies in the second trimester of pregnancy showed that 41 (87.2%) of them were classified as mild, 5 (7.2%) of them were classified as moderate, and 1 (1.4%) of them was classified as severe. Conclusion: Based on the findings of measurements performed in the pregnant women screened at our hospital, this study reported the measurements of the renal pelvic dilatation in fetuses and compared the results reported in the literature together with their short-term follow-up results in the postnatal period.