Canis ISSN: 2398-2942
Hydronephrosis / hydroureter
Contributor(s): Phil Nicholls, Melissa Wallace
Introduction
- Cause: obstruction at level of renal pelvis (hydronephrosis) or ureter (hydroureter with possible hydronephrosis) → rapid deterioration of function of the affected kidney.
- Signs: acute or chronic renal failure.
- Diagnosis: imaging.
- Treatment: surgery, antibiotics.
- Prognosis: if treated early enough, renal function may still be intact → ureteral function may return to normal.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
Pathophysiology
- Obstruction at level of the renal pelvis or ureter → obstruction of normal urine flow → back pressure on kidney and ureter → dilation of renal pelvis and ureter proximal of obstruction → initially decrease in functional glomerular filtration rate → followed by structural damage to the affected kidney.
- Stasis of urine → predisposes to urinary tract infection and urolithiasis (especially struvite).
- Urinary tract infection → disruption of normal ureteric peristalsis.
- Increased renin production by acutely obstructed kidney → hypertension (not in chronic cases).
Timecourse
- Complete failure of the kidney once complete obstruction has been present for 4 weeks.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Ruiz de Gopegui R, Espada Y & Majo N (1999) Bilateral hydroureter and hydronephrosis in a 9 year old female German shepherd dog. JSAP 40 (5), 224-226 WileyOnlineLibrary.
- Thickman D et al (1984) Magnetic resonance evaluation of hydronephrosis in the dog. Radiology 152 (1), 113-116 PubMed.