Fetal urinary tract obstruction: is active intervention before delivery indicated?

Summary. Obstruction of the urinary tract was diagnosed by ultrasound in four fetuses at 16—30 weeks: three of these diagnoses were confirmed after delivery; the fourth fetus had multicystic kidneys with hydroureter and hydronephrosis but no obstruction. The fetus with obstruction diagnosed at 16 weeks was terminated: it had lung hypoplasia with the prune-belly syndrome. The other two fetuses with obstruction were diagnosed at 25 and 34 weeks; the urinary tracts of both were drained for 5–14 days with reduction of distension. Both were born alive but that diagnosed at 25 weeks died of lung hypoplasia, the other survived, required nephrectomy and at the age of 3 is small but developing normally. Fetal urinary tract obstruction may prevent normal development of the lungs, be associated with other anomalies which cannot be diagnosed before delivery and retard infant development in survivors. Drainage of the dilated urinary tract does not harm the fetus or mother but has not been shown to improve neonatal survival or infant development.