Abstract
The increased use of maternal-fetal ultrasound has led to the development of the field of perinatal urology. Antenatal hydronephrosis (ANH) is identified in approximately 1–3% of all pregnancies and is one of the most common birth defects detected (1–4). Other urologic abnormalities have been diagnosed prenatally as well, including renal cystic disease, renal agenesis, stones and tumors. For the pediatric urologist, these prenatal findings have created numerous clinical dilemmas that challenge our understanding of normal and abnormal renal embryology and physiology. In this chapter, we discuss the diagnosis of prenatal urologic abnormalities and the postnatal implications, the rationale behind prenatal intervention, and our clinical experience in managing children with prenatal urologic abnormalities.
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Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge the assistance of Carol E. Barnewolt, M.D., for providing many of the fetal ultrasound images.
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Lee, R.S., Diamond, D.A. (2009). Perinatal Urology. In: Avner, E., Harmon, W., Niaudet, P., Yoshikawa, N. (eds) Pediatric Nephrology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-76341-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-76341-3_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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