What is it called when your kidney has two tubes?
Duplex kidney, also called duplicated ureters, is a problem with the urinary tract where there are two ureters draining urine from a single kidney. It’s more common in females than males and it’s an unpreventable birth defect.
What causes a double ureter?
Double ureter is caused by abnormalities in the branching pattern of the ureteric bud. In the case of complete duplication, the ureteral bud arises twice, resulting in a double ureter with a double opening into the urinary bladder.
Can a duplex kidney cause hydronephrosis?
Although duplex kidney is a relatively common congenital abnormality, severe hydronephrosis resulting from obstruction of a duplex ureter is relatively rare. Therefore, it may be a pitfall in clinical practice.
Is double ureter hereditary?
It can happen in boys or girls, but is more common in girls. There is also no proof that something during pregnancy causes it. It is known to be hereditary (passed down in a family). If you had an ectopic ureter, then each of your children has a one-half chance of having this duplicated system.
Is duplex kidney hereditary?
Ureteral duplication is more common in females; however, males can have it as well. Duplex kidneys are known to run in families so there is a hereditary component, but the exact genetic mechanisms are not always known.
Is duplex kidney serious?
Duplex kidneys can occur in one or both kidneys. Duplex kidneys are a normal variant, meaning that they occur commonly enough in healthy children to be considered normal. They occur in 1 percent of the population, and most cause no medical problems and will require no treatment.
What does having a double kidney mean?
Children with a duplex kidney (also called a duplicated collecting system) have two ureters coming from a single kidney. These two ureters can drain independently into the bladder or connect and drain as a single ureter into the bladder.
How do you treat a duplex kidney?
Treatments for duplex kidneys
- Nephrectomy – kidney removal.
- Heminephrectomy – part of the affected kidney and duplicated ureter are removed.
- Ureteroureterostomy – in the case of an ectopic ureter, it is split near the bladder and joined to the normal ureter, allowing urine from the upper kidney to drain as normal.
What happens if you have a duplex kidney?