ACCURACY OF PRENATAL-DIAGNOSIS OF RENAL AGENESIS WITH COLOR-FLOW IMAGING IN SEVERE 2ND-TRIMESTER OLIGOHYDRAMNIOS

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to examine the potential of color flow imag ing to assess the presence of renal arteries in second-trimester pregn ancies complicated by severe oligohydramnios. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-thr ee consecutive second-trimester pregnancies referred with Severe oligo hydramnios were prospectively studied with high-resolution color Doppl er ultrasonography to establish the presence or absence of renal arter ies. Prenatal findings were correlated with the presence or absence of fetal kidneys at postmortem or postnatal examination. RESULTS: Neithe r renal artery was visualized in eight fetuses; postmortem examination confirmed bilateral renal agenesis in seven and unilateral renal agen esis with a contralateral atrophic multicystic kidney in the other. On ly one renal artery was seen in three; postmortem examination demonstr ated unilateral renal agenesis in two fetuses and bilateral multicysti c dysplastic kidneys in the other. Postmortem or postnatal evaluation confirmed the presence of both kidneys in all 22 fetuses in which both renal arteries were identified prenatally. CONCLUSIONS: Color Doppler ultrasonography is useful in the prenatal evaluation of fetuses with severe second-trimester oligohydramnios to demonstrate the presence or absence of renal arteries. This technique should be added to the arma mentarium of prenatal tests to evaluate second-trimester fetuses with severe oligohydramnios.