J Korean Pediatr Soc.  2003 Sep;46(9):854-857.

Usefulness of Routine Renal Sonography Screening for Healthy Infants with Isolated Single Umbilical Artery

• Kang JM
• Song ES
• Kuk JH
• Lee HS
• Kim SY
• Cho YY

Abstract

PURPOSE
It is known that single umbilical artery is frequently associated with gastrointestinal or urogenital anomaly, however, routine renal sonography has been debated in healthy neonate with isolated single umbilical artery. This study is designed to determine the usefulness of routine renal sonography in apparently healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery.
METHODS
Thirty healthy neonates with a single umbilical artery without a major anomaly from January 1995 to July 2002 were enrolled. The authors investigated the clinical background of babies and their mothers after renal sonography after 72 hours of age. When the abnormalities were found at the first renal sonography, the severity of hydronephrosis and degree of obstruction and renal function were analyzed by follow up renal sonography, voiding cystourethrography(VCUG) and technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid(DMSA) scan or technetium-99m-mercaptoacetyl-triglycerine (MAG3) scan.
RESULTS
Among the 30 healthy patients with isolated single umbilical artery, five patients(16.7%) showed abnormalities on first renal sonography with one major(3.3%) and four(13.4%) minor renal anomaly(minimal or mild hydroneohrosis). One major renal anomaly(severe hydronephrosis) showed severe decreased renal function on MAG3 scan without reflux, and the other four minor regressed spontaneously on follow up study.
CONCLUSION
The value of routine early renal sonograpy for detecting renal anomaly in healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery remained unclear because most of the anomalies would regress spontaneously in the follow up study.

Keyword

Single umbilical artery; Renal sonography; Renal anomaly

MeSH Terms

Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hydronephrosis
Infant*
Infant, Newborn
Mass Screening*
Mothers
Single Umbilical Artery*