What does it mean to have a double ureter?
Duplex kidney, also called duplicated ureters, is a problem with the urinary tract where there are two ureters draining urine from a single kidney. It’s more common in females than males and it’s an unpreventable birth defect.
Is duplicated ureter hereditary?
It can happen in boys or girls, but is more common in girls. There is also no proof that something during pregnancy causes it. It is known to be hereditary (passed down in a family). If you had an ectopic ureter, then each of your children has a one-half chance of having this duplicated system.
Can a duplex kidney cause problems?
The limited duplex kidney (where only the collecting system is double) is usually an incidental finding and rarely causes problems. The more extensive duplication, however, does often cause problems and can typically mean a child is more prone to urine infections.
What is a duplex kidney in babies?
Children with a duplex kidney (also called a duplicated collecting system) have two ureters coming from a single kidney. These two ureters can drain independently into the bladder or connect and drain as a single ureter into the bladder. Duplex kidneys can occur in one or both kidneys.
Are duplex kidneys genetic?
Duplex kidneys are known to run in families so there is a hereditary component, but the exact genetic mechanisms are not always known.
Can duplex kidney affect pregnancy?
In most cases, duplex kidneys do not cause any problems for the pregnancy or childbirth, and the baby and mother will not have any long-term problems. Your child will be able to do all of the things that other children their age do.
How common is an extra ureter?
Duplicated ureter is the most common renal abnormality, occurring in approximately 1% of the population. It occurs in about 0.7% of healthy adults and in 2% to 4% of people with urinary tract issues. Duplicated ureter is more common in White Americans than in African-Americans.
Is a duplex kidney hereditary?
Ureteral duplication is more common in females; however, males can have it as well. Duplex kidneys are known to run in families so there is a hereditary component, but the exact genetic mechanisms are not always known.
How do you treat a duplex kidney?
Treatments for duplex kidneys
- Nephrectomy – kidney removal.
- Heminephrectomy – part of the affected kidney and duplicated ureter are removed.
- Ureteroureterostomy – in the case of an ectopic ureter, it is split near the bladder and joined to the normal ureter, allowing urine from the upper kidney to drain as normal.
Why do ureters dilate in pregnancy?
[2] The renal pelvises and calyceal systems are dilated because of smooth muscle relaxing effect of progesterone and also mechanical compression of the ureters by the enlarged gravid uterus at the pelvic brim.
Can an ectopic ureter be fixed?
How are ectopic ureters treated? Treatment of ectopic ureters requires relocating the ureter from its abnormal location to a more normal location. This can be accomplished via open abdominal surgery or a laser procedure (which is done during cystoscopy).
Is duplex kidney hereditary?
Can a child be born with two ureters?
In these cases, one ureter drains the upper part of the kidney and the second ureter drains the lower part of the kidney. As long as they both enter the bladder, this extra ureter is usually not a problem. But if a child is born with a ureter that does not connect with the bladder, it can drain somewhere outside the bladder.
How many ureters does a duplex kidney have?
In a normal urinary tract, each kidney is connected to one ureter (a tube that drains urine into the bladder). Children with a duplex kidney (also called a duplicated collecting system) have two ureters coming from a single kidney.
What is the medical term for duplicated ureters?
What is a duplex kidney (duplicated ureters)? Duplex kidney, also known as duplicated ureters or duplicated collecting system, is the most common birth defect related to the urinary tract. This occurs due to an incomplete fusion of the upper and lower pole of the kidney which creates two separate drainage systems from the kidney.
What happens if you have two ureters in your kidneys?
Ureters are long, narrow tubes that drain urine from your kidneys to your bladder. Normally one ureter leads from each kidney to your bladder. In the case of duplicated systems, two ureters drain a single kidney. One ureter drains the upper pole of your kidney and the other drains the lower pole.