Long standing left sided hydronephrosis

[Lynni]

After a fall, which caused a fractured sacrum, I developed blood in my urine.  The doctor sent me for a sonagram which showed a large kidney stone in the left ureter and left sided hydronephrosis.  A CT showed that this was long standing.  Kidney lacks a renal cortex.  The only symptom that I have had that may or may not be related is blood in my urine since 2005 intermittently.  Doctors feel that the reason I may not have had symptoms of obstruction is becuase my kidney must have not worked properly to begin with and backed up very slowyly because my right kidney was doing most of the work to begin with.  I was told by one doctor to get a stent and if there is no function to take the kidney out.  Another said that there will be no function so just take the kidney out.  He felt that a stent would just set me up for infection because the urine in the kidney is very, very old.  Not sure what to do.  Is it accurate that the old urine would be more likely to cause infection with the stent?  What treatment plan would you suggest?

[Angie O.]

Hi Lynni,

  I also had left hydronephrosis (although mine was due to a congenital partial blockage at the connection between the kidney and the ureter) and I recently had surgery to fix this.  I currently have a stent while it heals and although it is annoying (makes me feel bloated and want to use the bathroom a lot), it is getting better as time goes by.  I have heard that stents do make you more prone to infection, but I've also read that urine is sterile.  Although I'm not a doctor, I would think you would already know if the old urine was infected?  My renal cortex looked very small on my hydronephrotic, but it turned out that it was only functioning slightly less than my right kidney when they confirmed my condition was through a Renal Scan.  Maybe they can do a Renal Scan for you to figure out if your kidney is working once the stent is in place?

  Best of luck to you!

Angie