Familial occurrence of bilateral renal agenesis.

The 58 cases of bilateral renal agenesis (Potter syndrome) registered in the Genetic Counselling unit of our institute in the last 12 years are reviewed. The only familial recurrent case which has been prenatally diagnosed is described in detail. A urinary bladder anomaly like that of the subsequent third child has not been previously reported. The authors analyze the possible inheritance patterns. They suggest the malformation is a genetically heterogeneous entity. They emphasize that nowadays the birth of a newborn with bilateral renal agenesis can be prevented in all cases.