Prolonged follow‐up after paediatric pyeloplasty: are repeat scans necessary?

• Published in: BJU international Vol. 100; no. 5; pp. 1150 - 1152
• Main Authors: Van Den Hoek, Joop, De Jong, Andra, Scheepe, Jeroen, Van Der Toorn, Fred, Wolffenbuttel, Katja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2007; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; children; Follow-Up Studies; follow‐up; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Kidney - diagnostic imaging; Kidney - physiopathology; Kidney - surgery; Kidney Function Tests; Kidney Pelvis - physiopathology; Kidney Pelvis - surgery; Medical sciences; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; pyeloplasty; Radioisotope Renography; renal scans; Retrospective Studies; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the urinary system; Time Factors; Ureteral Obstruction - physiopathology; Ureteral Obstruction - surgery; Urologic Surgical Procedures - methods; Human; Nephrology; Radiodiagnosis; Pyeloplasty; Kidney; Retrospective; Urology; Plasty; follow-up; Urinary system; Follow up study; children; Surgery; renal scans; Medical imagery; Computerized axial tomography; Child; Repetition
• ISSN: 1464-4096; 1464-410X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.07033.x

OBJECTIVE
To establish the value of repeat renal scans to assess the relative renal function after successful paediatric pyeloplasty.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Renal scans were assessed from 138 patients after successful pyeloplasty; the relative renal function before and immediately after pyeloplasty were compared, as was split renal function at 3.5 and 5.5 years after surgery.
RESULTS
With a few exceptions the relative renal function before and after pyeloplasty was stable. Repeat renal scans 3.5 and 5.5 years after surgery also showed stable split renal function, even if the renal function was already diminished.
CONCLUSIONS
Repeat renal scans are not necessary after successful pyeloplasty in children, as most operated renal units showed stable renal function for 5–7 years. Further studies are needed to investigate whether renal function changes further after puberty.