Do you have any stinging or pain when you urinate?.What questions might my healthcare provider ask to determine if I have duplex kidney, or a related urinary tract condition? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An injected liquid dye is traced to show how your kidneys and urinary system function.Computed tomography (CT): Multiple scans are assembled into a three-dimensional image of a body structure.Ultrasound of your kidneys and bladder can show if there is a duplicate system.What tests are performed?Ī number of tests can help find duplicated ureters: Sometimes they are not discovered until adulthood as symptoms may resemble other health problems, making it difficult to arrive quickly at a correct diagnosis. The duplication occurs during embryological development and is present at birth.ĭuplicated ureters are usually found during childhood, due to the presentation of UTIs or incontinence. How do you get duplex kidney (duplicated ureters)? In girls, rather than completely losing bladder control, there is a dampness due to a steady leakage. Incontinence (inability to control urination): In boys, this symptom may not be present, however, you may see scrotal swelling or UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) may occur.Kidney infections or renal scarring can result from reflux. It is important for a provider to grade the reflux, as a child may be able to outgrow a lower grade of reflux but may need more extensive treatment if the reflux is a higher grade. Vesicoureteral reflux: Urine backs up and flows in the wrong direction (up toward the kidney instead of down toward the bladder).Urinary tract infection (UTI): Poor drainage makes it easier for bacteria to enter urine and travel to your bladder.Your urine gets backed up and causes the kidney and ureter to swell. Hydronephrosis: An ectopic ureter is usually narrower than it should be, leading to an obstruction in the flow of your urine.

In addition, urine can reflux back toward the kidney through the second ureter, which often has a weak valve because it joins the bladder in an abnormal location.Ī number of symptoms can occur when one of the ureters is ectopic, which means it drains to somewhere other than the bladder. This results in a balloon-like swelling as urine builds up at the point where the ureter and bladder connect. One common abnormality is an ureterocele, which occurs when the end of the ureter does not develop properly, and urine flow is obstructed. If symptoms do occur, it is usually in the case of complete duplicated ureters.Ī duplex kidney can occur with other abnormalities of your urinary system. What are symptoms and complications of duplex kidney (duplicated ureters)?Īs long as your duplicated ureters drain normally into your bladder they should not cause any symptoms. If one parent has a duplex kidney, the child has a 50-50 chance of also being born with this condition. However, there is evidence to show that the condition can be passed from parent to child. There is no evidence that suggests anything during pregnancy causes the defect. Does duplex kidney cause pain?ĭuplex kidney is a result of errors in cell division that occur during the development of the fetus inside the uterus. Who is more likely to have duplex kidney?īoth boys and girls are affected, but the condition is more common in females. Incomplete duplication is three times more common than complete duplication, which is estimated to appear in about one in every 500 people. How common is duplex kidney (duplicated ureters)?Ībout 0.7% of the healthy adult population and 2% to 4% of patients with urinary tract issues have duplicated ureters. Complete: Two separate ureters lead away from the same kidney and enter the bladder separately.Incomplete: Two separate ureters are attached to the same kidney but join together at some distance away from the kidney to form a single ureter that enters the bladder.

What are the types of duplex kidney?ĭuplex kidney can take on one of two forms: This condition may affect one or both kidneys. One ureter drains the upper pole of your kidney and the other drains the lower pole. In the case of duplicated systems, two ureters drain a single kidney. Normally one ureter leads from each kidney to your bladder. Ureters are long, narrow tubes that drain urine from your kidneys to your bladder. This occurs due to an incomplete fusion of the upper and lower pole of the kidney which creates two separate drainage systems from the kidney. What is a duplex kidney (duplicated ureters)?ĭuplex kidney, also known as duplicated ureters or duplicated collecting system, is the most common birth defect related to the urinary tract.

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