What's a Megaureter?

Most children are born with a traditional tract . But in some infants the tube that connects the kidney and bladder gets wider. this will cause infections and block urine flow. If not treated, this will cause serious kidney damage.

What Happens under Normal Conditions?

The tract is sort of a plumbing , with special ‘pipes' that allow water and salts to flow through them. The tract is formed from 2 kidneys, 2 ureters, the bladder, and therefore the urethra.

The kidneys act as a filter system for the blood. They remove toxins and keep the useful sugar, salts, and minerals. Urine, the waste , is formed within the kidneys and flows down 2, 10 to 12-inch-long tubes called ureters into the bladder. The ureters are a few quarter inch wide and have muscled walls which push the urine into the bladder. The bladder stretches or expands to store the urine until you're able to drain it by peeing. It also closes the pathways into the ureters so urine can't flow back to the kidneys. The tube that carries the urine from the bladder out of the body is named the urethra.

What are Megaureters?

A megaureter ("large ureter") is when a ureter is wider than three-eighths of an in. . this will result from an abnormality of the ureter itself (primary) or from the bladder being blocked (secondary). The various sorts of megaureters are described below.

Primary Obstructed Megaureter

This type is when the ureter is just too thin where it enters the bladder. This block causes the ureter to urge wider further up. The narrowing can damage the kidney over time. Surgery could also be needed to repair the matter and take away the block. it is vital to follow up together with your health care provider albeit the symptoms improve.

Refluxing Megaureters

In this type, the ureters are wider due to urine flowing copy the ureters from the bladder ("vesicoureteral reflux" ). Normally, once urine is within the bladder, it shouldn't return up the ureters. A refluxing megaureter may be a sign of reflux . this is often more common in newborn males. Sometimes the reflux and stretched ureters gets better over the primary year of life. But if the matter doesn't get away , surgery could also be needed. Refluxing megaureters could also be linked to a health issue where the bladder doesn't drain all the way. Instead, it sends urine copy the ureters, and therefore the bladder swells. This condition is named "megacystis megaureter syndrome."

Non-Obstructive, Non-Refluxing Megaureters

These are wide ureters that are not caused by blocks or urine backflow. Many of those recover with time. Your health care provider will check carefully to rule out a block or reflux.

Obstructed, Refluxing Megaureters

This type is caused by a ureter that's blocked and also suffers from reflux. this is often dangerous, because the ureters get bigger and more blocked with time. People with this problem are more likely to urge tract infections.

Secondary Megaureters

These are megaureters that show up as a results of other health problems. a number of these health problems that cause megaureters are:

Ø  posterior urethral valves (a block within the male urethra)

Ø  prune belly syndrome

Ø  neurogenic bladder (spina bifida, medulla spinalis injury, etc.)

Symptoms

Health care providers wont to find most megaureters when checking a toddler with a tract infection. These patients often have fever, back pain, and vomiting.

But today, due to the widespread use of checking with ultrasound before birth, most megaureters are discovered as hydronephrosis or a stretched ("dilated") tract within the fetus.

Because megaureters can cause severe infection or blocks that cause kidney damage, this health issue are often serious. tract stretching may suggest a blockage, but that's not always the case. In some cases, a dilated ureter might not affect the kidney in the least . Also, most patients with megaureters found before birth aren't getting symptoms. it is vital to possess it checked to form sure it won't affect the way the kidney works and cause problems later.

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