Prognostic value of neonatal pyelectasia diagnosed in utero

: Sixty-six children (48 male-18 female) with prenatal diagnosis of pyelectasia that was conformed at birth were examined between 1986-1994. All newborns carried out urinalysis and urine culture and performed a renal sonogram to reconfirm the diagnosis at 1 month of age. After 3 month of life the pelvic dilatation was confirmed in 61 patients while 5 showed a complete disappearance, 61 patients underwent micturitional cystography that evidenced 30 renal units (RU) with moderate to severe vesicoureteral reflux. In the patients without reflux, a scintigraphy was carried out with DTPA or MAG 3 and/or IVP and evidenced a functional junctional pathology in 32 RU and an organic junctional pathology in 24 RU, a primary megaureter with pre-vesical stenosis in 6 RU and a pyelo-ureteral complete double system in 4 RU. The patients with organic stenosis or those patients with parenchymal damage due to the vesicoureteral reflux underwent surgical intervention during the 1st year of life while all the remaining patients are continuously monitored to date with biohumoral exams and echography. With these results we can safely confirm the important role of the sonogram in the initial diagnosis of pyelectasia and to its eventual modifications in order to benefit the patients with a nephro-urological pathology and direct them toward a correct follow up.