Duplex Kidney

[hifived]

Hi, im ne here so please bear with me.

My DD(19) has just been diagnosed with a duplex kidney. I've googled I know I shouldn't have but i couldn't resist and now I am very confused. Could anyone please help me by explaining what it and what happens now. Thank you.

Hi, sorry i'm not going to be much help but I have a duplex kidney. It was diagnosed when I was very young but hasn't caused me any problems. I don't have to get it checked or anything. (I'm 29, was diagnosed at around 5yrs)

Was your daughter having any problems?

Thats reassuring to know that you haven't had any problems. For the past 3 weeks my DD has had pain in her upper stomach especially the right side the side of the duplex kidney. She was admitted for 5 days initially and then discharged on strong pain killers. Since then she has been back to the GP twice, the 2nd time being to see the nurse who went to get the Dr because she said she wasn't happy with how she looked. However I dont know if this is related because the pains mainly at the front and I would of expected kidney pain to be at the back. She also has GERD if thats helps.

Also on her urine sample when they dipped it it showed white cells but when they sent it away there wasn't any growth, is this to do with duplex kidneys.

Hopeful bump. Anyone one else out there with any experience.

I found out a couple of years ago that I have a duplex kidney, whilst having an investigation for something totally unrelated. Not much help to you I know, but I've got to age 33 without it causing me any issues so try not to worry too much.

Hi HiFived. You're not alone. My DD was diagnosed with Duplex Kidney on the left-hand side when I was PG and had my 20wk scan. Right-hand kidney is fine.

The way the consultant explained it as her left kidney essentially had almost 2 functioning parts, the main part had its own ureter as normal and the top part of that same kidney was swollen due to ureter not going right down into the bladder. It was stopping just before the inner lining of her bladder and created a bubble (imagine an empty balloon on the end of a hosepipe and the tap the hose is connected to is turned on so the balloon fills up).

A few years ago DD (then aged 3yo) was taken in to slice that bubble open so the kidney could drain properly. DD (now 5yo) was on low-dose Tremithoprim from birth to prevent urine infections and came off it about 2yo. She has to see the consultant again next June and if all's well, she'll be discharged to my care.

Dh is down to one kidney having had a particular form of nephrological cancer as a child. His remaining kidney is duplex and has never been a bother. He's 36. HTH.

As Cymar said. Duplex means two ureters (tubes) going from the kidney to the bladder. Ureters carry the urine to the bladder There is usually only one. Sometimes if there are two, the valves on one don't work properly and the urine can go back up to the kidney. So if you have a urine infection, the infection can track back up to the kidney and cause infection, hence preventative antibiotics. Or prevent free drainage of urine (the bubble).

Scarring or blockage would have been looked for on the scan that showed duplex though. She will have had a duplex kidney all her life, so in the absence of infection one would wonder what else is causing the pain. Are they repeating the urine sample if she is in pain? You are right that kidney pain is usually at the back.

FWIW some people have Duplex kidneys as an incidental finding, ie, they are seen on a scan but don't cause any problems.

HTH

I have a duplax kidney. As I understand it there's no need at all for concern. The same health problems can befall it as any other kidney, but it's no more suseptable because it's duplex.

She hasn't been "diagnosed" it's just come to light because of the investigations for the health issues she's had. Mine was found becasue I was prem and had severe jaundice as a baby, but it's hasn't been mentioned for the last 41 years!

Rereading I forgot the crucial bit. Only sometimes the valves in the second ureter don't work, ie they are normal in a lot of cases. Hence can be an incidental finding causing no problems.