ANTENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF RENAL TRACT ANOMALIES - HAS IT INCREASED THE SUM OF HUMAN HAPPINESS

When used as a screening procedure, ultrasound examination of the feta l urinary tract seldom leads to beneficial interventions. There is als o a cost in terms of parental anxiety and unnecessary investigation an d treatment. A formal screening programme would therefore be unjustifi ed. However, screening of women for obstetric purposes will continue t o reveal fetal abnormalities, and a strategy for dealing with these is needed. Antenatal treatments remain experimental; for most of the com mon conditions postnatal treatment has no urgency; and, in cases of mi nor abnormality detected by ultrasound, the best course may be to do n othing.