Successful pregnancy in a patient with polycystic kidney disease and advanced renal failure without prophylactic dialysis

Pregnancies in women suffering from advanced chronic renal failure are freq uently associated with deterioration of maternal renal function, premature births and low birth weights. Prophylactic dialysis is sometimes instituted since this intervention ameliorates the uremic milieu and improves materna l status and fetal uterine environment. This report describes a successful pregnancy and delivery in a hypertensive woman with advanced chronic renal failure due to polycystic kidney disease without accelerating the natural d eterioration of renal function and without instituting prophylactic dialysi s, The infant was delivered at full term with a normal birth weight. Thirty months after delivery, growth and development of the child were normal and the rate of deterioration of maternal renal function, assessed by 1/creati nine, was unaffected by pregnancy. Conservative management and effective co ntrol of blood pressure may be sufficient to achieve successful pregnancy o utcome when women with advanced chronic renal failure become pregnant. Copy right (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.