Rare renal ectopia in children - intrathoracic ectopic kidney.

UNLABELLED: Renal ectopia occurs in 1:3000-1:7000 children. Simple ectopia refers to the abnormal kidney location on the same side; in crossed ectopia the ureter crosses the midline of the body. In most cases ectopic kidney is found in the pelvis minor, in 5% of cases in the thoracic cavity. Kidney displacement does not give any clinical symptoms in the majority of patients, sometimes it may cause abdominal pain, urinary tract infection, chest pain or promote nephrolithiasis. Renal ectopia is usually discovered during routine abdominal ultrasound. We describe a boy with prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of left kidney agenesis. Right normal kidney and displaced to the thoracic cavity, smaller, with normal echo-structure left kidney were found in postnatal ultrasound. Left kidney ectopia was confirmed in renal scinthigraphy, radiography and computed tomography of the chest. Voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) excluded vesicoureteral re€ux.

CONCLUSIONS

In case of kidney's absence in typical localization in the abdominal ultrasonography, the ectopic kidney should be suspected. Diagnosis of ectopic kidney requires further additional imaging examination to check renal function and other urinary tract anomalies.