Defining and predicting ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’ in congenital lower urinary tract obstruction

Background: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’ in fetuses with severe congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO). Methods: We undertook a retrospective study of 31 consecutive fetuses with a diagnosis of LUTO in a tertiary Fetal Center between April 2013 and April 2015. Predictors of ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’ were evaluated in those infants with severe LUTO who had either a primary composite outcome measure of neonatal death in the first 24 h of life due to severe pulmonary hypoplasia or a need for renal replacement therapy within 7 days of life. The following variables were analyzed: fetal bladder re-expansion 48 h after vesicocentesis, fetal renal ultrasound characteristics, fetal urinary indices, and amniotic fluid volume. Results: Of the 31 fetuses included in the study, eight met the criteria for ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’. All of the latter had composite poor postnatal outcomes based on death within 24 h of life (n = 6) or need for dialysis within 1 week of life (n = 2). The percentage of fetal bladder refilling after vesicocentesis at time of initial evaluation was the only predictor of ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’ (cut-off <27 %, area under the time–concentration curve 0.86, 95 % confidence interval 0.68–0.99; p = 0.009). Conclusion: We propose the concept of ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’ in fetuses with the most severe forms of LUTO. Fetal bladder refilling can be used to reliably predict ‘intrauterine fetal renal failure’, which is associated with severe pulmonary hypoplasia or the need for dialysis within a few days of life.