Synonyms
Definition
It is a nongenetically transmitted likely congenital disease, usually asymptomatic, characterized by the presence of ectasia of papillary collecting ducts in the renal medulla.
Clinical Features
Incidence
It is a rare disease, characterized by a prevalence among the general population ranging between 5/10,000 and 5/100,000.
Age
It is commonly detected in adults, although pediatric cases are reported.
Sex
No gender predilection.
Site
Kidneys are bilaterally affected with normal size and intact function.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for medullary sponge kidney, and the current therapeutic options are aimed to avoid the complications or solve them.
Outcome
The outcome is related to complications.
The main clinical symptom is given by renal lithiasis, which only occasionally has the staghorn morphology. Intravenous urography shows distinctive radial linear streaking in the cystic renal papillae resembling bunch of flowers.
Macroscopy...
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References and Further Reading
Gambaro, G., Danza, F. M., & Fabris, A. (2013). Medullary sponge kidney. Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension, 22(4), 421–426.
Nunley, J. R., Sica, D. A., & Smith, V. (1990). Medullary sponge kidney and staghorn calculi. Urologia Internationalis, 45, 118–121.
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Caliò, A., Segala, D., Martignoni, G. (2019). Medullary Sponge Kidney. In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_3732-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_3732-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28845-1
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