Treatment of Hydronephrosis

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Treatment of hydronephrosis depends on the cause and severity of the blockage to normal urine flow. The aim of treatment is to remove the build-up of urine, relieve the pressure on your kidney, and prevent permanent kidney damage.

In acute hydronephrosis, the build-up of urine within your kidney must be drained urgently so that the kidney is not damaged. A catheter (a flexible tube) may be inserted into your bladder or a tube inserted directly into your kidney through a small incision in your skin. This allows urine to flow and the pressure on the kidney to be relieved.

Hydronephrosis that develops slowly does not usually require urgent treatment, but once again the urine that has built up above the blockage must be drained. Soft tubes may be inserted into the ureter to bypass the blockage and allow urine to flow.

Once the pressure on your kidney has been relieved, the cause of the build-up of urine must be treated. This usually means the removal of a blockage. The removal method depends on the exact cause, but most blockages require some sort of surgery. For example, surgery may be needed to remove a stone from your kidney or ureter, or to remove a narrow or abnormal part of a ureter. If the junction of the ureter and the bladder is blocked, the ureter may need to be attached to a different part of your bladder.

If hydronephrosis is diagnosed in your baby, during pregnancy, your baby will be monitored with ultrasound scans to check that he or she is growing normally and that their kidneys are not getting too large. If the hydronephrosis is causing problems for your baby the fluid may need to be drawn off while the baby is in your womb. However, this is very uncommon. After your baby is born the hydronephrosis will be monitored with ultrasound scans and the other standard tests for hydronephrosis. Treatment will then depend on the cause.

Most people make a full recovery when hydronephrosis is detected and treated early on.