[Urinary malformations in synostoses of the cervical vertebrae (Klippel-Feil syndrome). Apropos of 35 cases].

A study of 35 cases of congenital fusion of the cervical vertebrae demonstrated the high incidence of its association with urinary anomalies (52 per cent). More than half of these cases concerned unilateral kidney defects. The urinary anomalies are normally asymptomatic, but there is always the risk of chronic renal failure, and preventive surgery may be necessary. It is therefore advisable to make a systematic practice of obtaining ultrasound examinations and intravenous urograms. There are many other possible associated anomalies, which are often the first to be noted and lead to the discovery of the vertebral and urinary malformations. The authors define Klippel-Feil syndrome as the synostosis of two or more cervical vertebrae.