Bilateral hydronephrosis is the enlargement (distention) of the urine collecting structures and pelvis of both kidneys. Bilateral means both sides.
See also: Unilateral hydronephrosis
Alternative NamesHydronephrosis - bilateral
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsBilateral hydronephrosis occurs when urine is unable to drain from the kidney down the ureters into the bladder. Hydronephrosis is not itself a disease, but rather a physical result of whatever disease is keeping urine from draining out of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.
Disorders associated with bilateral hydronephrosis include:
Signs of hydronephrosis are generally seen during pregnancy ultrasound studies. There are no symptoms in the fetus.
In the newborn, any urinary tract infection is reason to suspect some type of obstructive problem in the kidney. An older child who gets repeat urinary tract infections should be evaluated for possible obstruction.
Urinary tract obstruction usually has no other symptoms beyond an increased number of urinary tract infections.
Signs and testsBilateral hydronephrosis may be seen on:
Placing a Foley catheter may relieve the obstruction. Other treatment options include draining the bladder or relieving pressure with nephrostomy tubes placed through the skin (percutaneous) or stents placed in the ureters to allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder.
Once the blockage is treated, the underlying cause (such as an enlarged prostate) must be identified and treated.
Expectations (prognosis)Advances in fetal ultrasound have given specialists the ability to diagnose problems caused by bilateral obstruction of the urinary tract in the developing fetus. If an obstruction is detected in a fetus, intrauterine surgery (performed while the fetus is still inside the mother's uterus), or shortly after birth, will improve kidney function.
Newborns diagnosed with obstruction while still in the uterus can receive prompt surgical correction of the defects, often with good results.
ComplicationsRenal insufficiency or failure may develop as a complication of many of the disorders associated with hydronephrosis.
Calling your health care providerThis disorder is usually discovered by the health care provider.
PreventionA fetal ultrasound can reveal an obstruction of the urinary tract and allow for early surgery with better outcomes in the newborn. Other causes of obstruction, such as kidney stones, can be diagnosed early if individuals recognize early warning signs of obstruction and kidney disease.
ReferencesPais VM, Strandhoy JW, Assimos DG. Pathophysiology of urinary tract obstruction. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Sauders Elsevier; 2007: chap 37.
Hsu THS, Streem SB, Nakada SY. Management of upper urinary tract obstruction. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Sauders Elsevier; 2007: chap 38.
Elder JS. Obstruction of the urinary tract. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th Ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 540.
Frokiaer J, Zeidel ML. Urinary tract obstruction. In: Brenner BM, ed. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa; Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 35.
Bilateral hydronephrosis is the enlargement (distention) of the urine collecting structures and pelvis of both kidneys. Bilateral means both sides.
See also: Unilateral hydronephrosis
Alternative NamesHydronephrosis - bilateral
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsBilateral hydronephrosis occurs when urine is unable to drain from the kidney down the ureters into the bladder. Hydronephrosis is not itself a disease, but rather a physical result of whatever disease is keeping urine from draining out of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.
Disorders associated with bilateral hydronephrosis include:
Signs of hydronephrosis are generally seen during pregnancy ultrasound studies. There are no symptoms in the fetus.
In the newborn, any urinary tract infection is reason to suspect some type of obstructive problem in the kidney. An older child who gets repeat urinary tract infections should be evaluated for possible obstruction.
Urinary tract obstruction usually has no other symptoms beyond an increased number of urinary tract infections.
Signs and testsBilateral hydronephrosis may be seen on:
Placing a Foley catheter may relieve the obstruction. Other treatment options include draining the bladder or relieving pressure with nephrostomy tubes placed through the skin (percutaneous) or stents placed in the ureters to allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder.
Once the blockage is treated, the underlying cause (such as an enlarged prostate) must be identified and treated.
Expectations (prognosis)Advances in fetal ultrasound have given specialists the ability to diagnose problems caused by bilateral obstruction of the urinary tract in the developing fetus. If an obstruction is detected in a fetus, intrauterine surgery (performed while the fetus is still inside the mother's uterus), or shortly after birth, will improve kidney function.
Newborns diagnosed with obstruction while still in the uterus can receive prompt surgical correction of the defects, often with good results.
ComplicationsRenal insufficiency or failure may develop as a complication of many of the disorders associated with hydronephrosis.
Calling your health care providerThis disorder is usually discovered by the health care provider.
PreventionA fetal ultrasound can reveal an obstruction of the urinary tract and allow for early surgery with better outcomes in the newborn. Other causes of obstruction, such as kidney stones, can be diagnosed early if individuals recognize early warning signs of obstruction and kidney disease.
ReferencesPais VM, Strandhoy JW, Assimos DG. Pathophysiology of urinary tract obstruction. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Sauders Elsevier; 2007: chap 37.
Hsu THS, Streem SB, Nakada SY. Management of upper urinary tract obstruction. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Sauders Elsevier; 2007: chap 38.
Elder JS. Obstruction of the urinary tract. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th Ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 540.
Frokiaer J, Zeidel ML. Urinary tract obstruction. In: Brenner BM, ed. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa; Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 35.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 03/17/2011
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Louis S. Liou, MD, PhD, Chief of Urology, Cambridge Health Alliance, Visiting Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
bilateral extrarenal pelves is a normal variant in humans. no hydronephrosis means in simple English it is fine. no right hydroureter? hm... this one is tricky was there a left hydroureter?
It means both of your kidneys are swollen with fluid as a result of an obstruction of urine out of them.
Pelviectasis is a general term used to describe dilation of the renal pelvis, or collecting system of the kidney. Hydronephrosis also refers to dilitation of the renal pelvis, but has the added connotation that the pathology was caused by an obstructive process, such as a kidney stone.
A leech has a bilateral simmetry.
Bilateral legs
They have bilateral symmetry. Though they are round they don't have radial symmetry
A Alligator is Bilateral
They have a bilateral symmetry.
DefinitionUnilateral hydronephrosis is swelling of one kidney due to a backup of urine.See also: Bilateral hydronephrosisAlternative NamesHydronephrosisCauses, incidence, and risk factorsHydronephrosis is a condition that occurs with a disease. It is not a disease itself. Conditions that are often associated with unilateral hydronephrosis include:Acute unilateral obstructive uropathyChronic unilateral obstructive uropathyVesicoureteric reflux (backflow of urine from bladder to kidney)Nephrolithiasis(kidney stones)Hydronephrosis that occurs without a known cause during pregnancyUnilateral hydronephrosis occurs in approximately 1 in 100 people.SymptomsFlank painAbdominal massNausea and vomitingUrinary tract infectionFeverPainful urination (dysuria)Increased urinary frequencyIncreased urinary urgencyNote: Sometimes unilateral hydronephrosis does not have symptoms.Signs and testsUnilateral hydronephrosis is usually identified with tests such as the following:Abdominal MRICT scan of the kidneys or abdomenIntravenous pyelogram (IVP)Isotope renography (special scan of the kidneys)Ultrasound of the kidneys or abdomenTreatmentTreatment and prognosis for unilateral hydronephrosis depend on what is causing the kidney swelling. Treatment may include:A ureteral stent (tube that allows the ureter to drain into the bladder)A nephrostomy tube (allows the blocked urine to drain through the back)Antibiotics for infectionsPatients who have only one kidney, who have immune-compromising disorders such as diabetes or HIV, or who have received a transplant should be treated promptly.Preventative antibiotics may be prescribed to decrease the risk of urinary tract infections in patients who have long-term hydronephrosis.Expectations (prognosis)Prolonged hydronephrosis results in the eventual loss of kidney function.ComplicationsIf hydronephrosis is left untreated, the affected kidney may be permanently damaged. Kidney insufficiency or kidney failure is rare with unilateral hydronephrosis because the other kidney usually functions normally. However, if the patient has only one functioning kidney, kidney failure will occur.Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if you have prolonged or severe flank pain, or if you suspect hydronephrosis.PreventionPrevention of the disorders associated with unilateral hydronephrosis will prevent this condition.ReferencesFrokiaer J, Zeidel ML. Urinary tract obstruction. In: Brenner BM, ed. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 35.
A marine flatworm has bilateral symmetry.
bilateral
bilateral