Horseshoe kidney, why it forms and how it is treated

Such an anomaly as a horseshoe-shaped kidney occurs in approximately 15% of all pathologies of the development of this organ. This disease is characterized by the union of two kidneys into one, but each of them has its own vessels. Uroliths that flow into the bladder in a habitual place. Most often, this anomaly affects the boys and is complemented by the pathology of the formation of other organs.

Horseshoe-shaped kidney is detected in approximately one child per 500 newborns. The abnormality begins to develop in the prenatal period as the kidneys shift in their bed.

With this pathology, the kidney becomes more fixed than in the normal state. This fixation occurs due to the large number of vascular connections and unusual form of the kidney, and its weight is about 300 grams.

Causes of

pathology Horseshoe-shaped kidney is usually formed due to the dysembryogenesis. The fetus develops in three stages - a preference, a primary and a secondary kidney. Simultaneously with the formation of the secondary kidney, the paired organ is moved to the zone of the bed in the lumbar region. The final formation and complete fixation of the organ occurs only after delivery.

Anomalous development of the kidney due to impaired migration and kidney fixation can trigger the following causes of the horseshoe kidney: a mother's disease, the effect on the fruit of harmful drugs and chemicals.

Symptoms of pathology

In a third of children with this lesion, the symptoms of the horseshoe-shaped kidney are absent. A third of children with a horseshoe-shaped kidney have additional anomalies or complications that correlate with the state of the cardiovascular system, the nervous system and the genitourinary system. The signs of pathology vary depending on which organs were affected.

Due to the specification of the processes of blood supply, topography and innervation, the horseshoe kidney can manifest itself as a characteristic pain sensation - pain in the thoracic region manifested during flexion and extension of the trunk, lumbar pain, abdominal pain, especially after physical exertion.

The pressure of the isthmus of the kidney on the nerve plexus of the root in the mesentery is capable of provoking intestinal cramps, constipation and intestinal peristalsis. With constant pain, a person may develop instability of mental processes, hysteria and neurasthenia.

Because of the squeezing of the vessels in the horseshoe-shaped kidney, intraocular venous hypertension appears, which at times becomes the cause of the appearance of blood in the urine. When the pressure on the lower vena cava manifests venous congestion and the lower part of the body - swelling of the legs, varicose veins on the legs, ascites. In women, this pathology can cause a violation of the cycle of menstruation and premature birth.

Because of compression by the isthmus of the ureter, an obstruction arises to divert the urine from the renal pelvis, causing the development of pyelonephritis, the appearance of kidney stones, hydronephrosis. It is in the isthmus that the risk of tumor transformation of kidney cells and oncology of the kidneys increases.

There are known cases. When the horseshoe kidney does not cause any symptoms and is diagnosed accidentally. With the defeat of such a kidney by any pathological changes, the clinical picture depends on the signs of the developed disease.

Sometimes, the horseshoe-shaped kidney is accompanied by other birth defects - spina bifida, polycystosis, anomalies of the anorectal department, hydrocephalus, skeletal abnormalities, and the like.

Diagnosis of pathology

If there is any suspicion of the presence of a horseshoe-shaped kidney, ultrasound examination, electronic urography, computed tomography etc. is mandatory.

On the resulting urographs, the doctor may consider the kidney's position too low, its lack of mobility, the shading of the shadows from the lower poles to the contour of the column of the spine, the shadow from the isthmus.

After retrograde pyelografiya in the first minutes, a clear silhouette of the abnormal kidney and its isthmus is displayed, the abnormal position of the kidneys and the too low position of the kidney loops.

Ultrasonic examination allows to determine the absence of displacement of the contours of the kidneys, incorrect arrangement of the kidneys of the kidney, changes in the shape of the calyxes of the kidney. UZGD allows to establish an incorrect blood supply in the horseshoe kidney.

Angiography of the kidneys is realized with the purpose of examining the location of the vessels in the horseshoe kidney, establishing the number. Locations and presence of additional vessels, thickness and location of the isthmus. Such data play an important role in the planning of surgical intervention.

An important factor in the diagnosis of this anomaly in the structure of the organ belongs to the X-ray examination. Survey radiography reveals the following signs of organ damage:

1. The vertical location of both kidneys, that is, the inner edge of the kidney is parallel to the spinal column.
2. More medial finding of kidney shadows in contrast to the normal state of the organ.
3. The location of the kidney shadows is too low.
4. Immobility of the organ.
5. Shadowing from the lower poles of the kidneys to the vertebral shadow.
6. The ability to recognize shadows from the isthmus of the kidney.

Treating the pathology of

If a child with a diagnosed condition has no symptoms, then the treatment of a horseshoe-shaped kidney is not considered a necessity. Provided that the child has complications of the process, then in this situation it is shown the organization of supportive treatment, that is, the treatment of already existing symptoms, but it is impossible to eliminate the pathology itself.

In addition, in the absence of manifestations of anomaly, patients should still be observed with the nephrologist in order to prevent the formation of complications.

Specific therapy is developed by the attending physician, which takes as a basis the following parameters of the patient:

• Age of the child, general health, severity of the lesion and the history of the pathology.
• Susceptibility of a patient to medicines, therapy and planned procedures.
• Presence of symptoms of anomaly.
• The opinion of the child's parents and their preferences in treatment.

If the course of the disease is complicated by pyelonephritis, the specialist is organized for the patient appropriate pathogenetic course treatment.

If the patient complains of pain, there is hydronephrosis transformation, formation of kidney stones, tumors, then differentiated surgical intervention is necessary.

With strong pain sensations and irregularities in the urodynamics process due to the strong pressure of the isthmus, dissection and subsequent dilution of the kidneys are realized with their fixation in a new position. With the development of pathology in one of the parts of the horseshoe-shaped kidney and the loss of its ability to function normally, heminephrectomy is performed.

In case of detection of stones in the horseshoe kidney, a variety of methods for their extraction are used, for example, surgical intervention, lithotripsy, lithotomy and others. Only the attending physician after studying all the nuances of the disease can make the right decision about the subsequent actions with the purpose of recovery of the person and normalization of his further vital activity.