Renal agenesis pathophysiology

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shakiba Hassanzadeh, MD [2]

Overview

Renal agenesis results from the failure of the ureteric bud to form the ureter, renal pelvis and the collecting duct system and the failure of the renal mesenchyme to form nephrons.

Pathophysiology

Renal development (interactions between the ureteric bud (mesonephric duct) and the metanephric mesenchyme) starts at the 5th week of gestation.^[1]
Renal agenesis results from:^[2]
- Failure of the ureteric bud to form the ureter, renal pelvis and the collecting duct system
- Failure of the renal mesenchyme to form nephrons

Renal agenesis is a congenital condition caused by the complete failure of embryonic kidney formation.^[3]

Unilateral renal agenesis (URA) is the one-sided congenital failure of embryonic kidney formation.^[4]^[5]
In URA, the contralateral solitary kidney usually functions normally and may become hyperthrophied.^[6]

References

↑ Schedl A (2007). “Renal abnormalities and their developmental origin”. Nat Rev Genet. 8 (10): 791–802. doi:10.1038/nrg2205. PMID 17878895.
↑ Kerecuk L, Schreuder MF, Woolf AS (2008). “Renal tract malformations: perspectives for nephrologists”. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol. 4 (6): 312–25. doi:10.1038/ncpneph0807. PMID 18446149.
↑ Laurichesse Delmas H, Kohler M, Doray B, Lémery D, Francannet C, Quistrebert J; et al. (2017). “Congenital unilateral renal agenesis: Prevalence, prenatal diagnosis, associated anomalies. Data from two birth-defect registries”. Birth Defects Res. 109 (15): 1204–1211. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1065. PMID 28722320.
↑ Robson WL, Leung AK, Rogers RC (1995). “Unilateral renal agenesis”. Adv Pediatr. 42: 575–92. PMID 8540439.
↑ Woolf AS, Hillman KA (2007). “Unilateral renal agenesis and the congenital solitary functioning kidney: developmental, genetic and clinical perspectives”. BJU Int. 99 (1): 17–21. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06504.x. PMID 16956352.
↑ Cho JY, Moon MH, Lee YH, Kim KW, Kim SH (2009). “Measurement of compensatory hyperplasia of the contralateral kidney: usefulness for differential diagnosis of fetal unilateral empty renal fossa”. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 34 (5): 515–20. doi:10.1002/uog.7336. PMID 19852048.

Overview