fetal bil. hydronephrosis

we just found out that our baby has bilateral fetal hydronephrosis.  One kidney is larger than the other.  How is serious is this operation and how long does it last?  Would this have any indication of the baby having downs syndrome?  All her chromosone test came back negative so that was encouraging.  Also when would this surgery have to be done on the baby ?  Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sandy Williamson

[Mark P Johnson, MD]

Prenatal diagnosis of hydronephrosis is not an uncommon finding. It can be associated with chromosome problems like Down syndrome so it was good that you had this checked out. Whether or not and the timing of surgery if necessary will depend on the underlying cause of the hydronephrosis. Many infants will "outgrow" this problem in the first year or two of life and only require antibiotic suppression therapy and ongoing follow-up with a specialist. These are good questions to talk to a pediatric urologist about, and I would suggest you ask your pediatrician or obstetrician if there someone in your area that you might contact to talk about what they would recommend after the baby is born as far and need for antibiotics and what tests and when would they recommend them to be done to look into this problem further.