Weill Cornell Medicine Urology
Weill Cornell Medicine Urology
Prenatal Hydronephrosis - Risks & Causes

Prenatal Hydronephrosis - Risks & Causes

The most common cause of fetal hydronephrosis is ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction. This finding is characterized by varying degrees of renal pelvic dilation. The most common cause of UPJ obstruction is an intrinsic narrowing of the proximal ureter. This narrowing can be likened to a scar or stricture in the ureter as it leaves the kidney. Sometimes, the ureter can be obstructed behind a band of tissue or a blood vessel supplying the lower segment of the kidney. This entity is known as a "crossing vessel."

When a dilated ureter is detected along with the renal pelvis, the working diagnosis is vesicoureteral reflux or uretero-vesical junction obstruction. Males with significant hydroureteronephrosis occurring simultaneously with a large thin walled bladder and normal renal parenchyma will often have a condition of massive reflux known as megacystis-megaureter.

Prenatal findings of hydroureteronephrosis can be associated with other diagnoses such as posterior urethral valves, prune-belly syndrome, or duplication anomalies such as ectopic ureter or ureterocele.

The diagnosis of posterior urethral valves is reached when a male fetus has the following findings:

  • Bilateral hydroureteronephrosis
  • Thick-walled, moderately dilated bladder
  • Dilated posterior urethra
  • Kidney architectural changes
  • Diminished volumes of amniotic fluid

Other genitourinary diagnoses that can be made prenatally include renal dysplasia, multicystic dysplasia, renal agenesis, renal hypoplasia, renal cystic disease, bladder/cloacal exstrophy, and external genital anomalies.

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To request an appointment, please call our office at 212-746-5337. Our phone staff are available to help you Monday-Friday, from 9AM-5PM (EST).

You can find the office contact information for each physician specializing in Prenatal Hydronephrosis by visiting their profile listed on the bottom of this webpage. 

If you'd like to learn more about our providers that specialize in Prenatal Hydronephrosis, please review the Physicians & Faculty profiles listed at the bottom of this page.

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Physicians & Faculty

Ardavan Akhavan

M.D.

212.746.5361
212.746.5361
AETNA-HMO, AETNA-PPO, Aetna-Weill Cornell POS, Affinity Access, Affinity Health Plan, Blue Priority Network, CIGNA, EBCBS HMO, EBCBS Mediblue, EBCBS Pathway X, EBCBS Pathway X Enhanced, EBCBS PPO/EPO, Empire BCBS HealthPlus, Empire BCBS HealthPlus (CHP), Fidelis Care, Health First, Health Insurance Plan of NY (HIP), Health Insurance Plan of NY (HIP) [Medicaid], Oxford Freedom, Oxford Health Plans [Liberty], Oxford Health Plans [Metro/Core/Charter], Rockefeller University-CoreSource, UHC Compass, United Empire Plan, United Health Care [Community Plan], United Healthcare Commercial, VNSNY CHOICE SelectHealth
The LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery
Dr. Joseph Del Pizzo, M.D.

Joseph J. Del Pizzo

M.D.

(646) 962-9600
(646) 962-9600
AETNA [Medicare], AETNA-HMO, Aetna-NYP-EPO/POS, AETNA-PPO, Aetna-Weill Cornell POS, EBCBS Blue Access, EBCBS HMO, EBCBS Mediblue, EBCBS PPO/EPO, Empire BCBS HealthPlus (CHP), Federal Medicare, NY State Medicaid, Rockefeller University-CoreSource, UHC Medicare, United Healthcare Commercial
The LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery

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