- The kidneys may be missing or in a wrong position.
- A blockage of the outflow of urine or reverse flow of urine already in the bladder (called reflux) can cause the renal pelvis to become enlarged. This is usually called hydronephrosis.
- A blockage of the urethra can affect emptying of the bladder, causing the pressure in the bladder to be greater. This places extra pressure on the renal pelvis in both kidneys and on the ureters, which can dilate.
- Two ureters can drain a single kidney. In some cases the connections can be abnormal and hydronephrosis or reflux can be a problem.
1 AnswerNational Kidney Foundation answeredBirth defects can occur in any part of a baby’s urinary tract. For example:
1 AnswerHypospadias, a common genital abnormality seen in male infants, is where the urethral opening is not at the top of the penis but further down, between the head of the penis and the scrotum.. Fortunately, surgery to correct hypospadias, when performed by a specialist with extensive experience, can be done on an ambulatory basis and is highly successful.
The best outcomes for children with craniofacial defects result from early intervention and teamwork. “Patients should be referred as soon as a problem is identified or suspected,” UCLA plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, M.D., urges, emphasizing that delayed presentation can make some patients medically unqualified to receive these techniques.
Among their challenges, says UCLA plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, M.D., are the multiple surgeries that children with craniofacial defects confront beginning as early as the first week of life and continuing through the late teenage years. “With early intervention, most of these children do very well,” says Dr. Jarrahy.
“If the clinicians treating children with craniofacial anomalies don’t pay careful attention to other developmental problems -- such as speech impediments or hearing loss -- in addition to the physical defects, these issues will persist until children have difficulties socializing or keeping up in school, among many other concerns,” pediatrician and geneticist Katrina Dipple, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the UCLA Craniofacial Clinic, says. The team at the UCLA Craniofacial Clinic includes pediatricians, plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, speech therapists, audiologists, dentists, orthodontists, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, geneticists and social workers.
1 AnswerPediatrician and geneticist Katrina Dipple, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the UCLA Craniofacial Clinic, says that common birth defects include craniosynostosis, a condition in which an infant’s sutures (soft spots) close too early and cause the head to become misshapen and prevent normal brain and skull growth, and hemifacial microsomia, a condition in which the tissues on one side of the face are underdeveloped, affecting primarily the ear, mouth and jaw areas. Craniofacial defects may also occur after birth.
1 AnswerCleft lip, cleft palate or both affect approximately one in 700 children in the United States annually, which make these conditions among the most common birth defects involving the growth of a child’s head and facial bones (craniofacial anomalies). These anomalies -- as well as other common birth defects that can also cause craniofacial anomalies -- not only affect the way the child’s face looks but may also lead to problems with swallowing, speech, hearing and vision.
1 AnswerDuring the complicated process of embryonic and fetal development, the heart is subject to more potential defects than any other organ. These defects include:
- Atrial septal defect (ASD). The wall between the heart's upper chambers has a hole in it.
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD). The wall between the heart's lower chambers has a hole in it.
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The blood vessel connecting the aorta and the pulmonary artery does not close up properly after birth.
- Tetraology of Fallot. The heart has a hole between the pumping chambers and obstructions within the artery leading to the lungs.
- Coarctation of the aorta. A segment of the aorta is narrowed.
- Transposition of the great arteries (TGA). The positions of the aorta and the pulmonary artery are reversed inside the ventricles.
- Hypoplastic left heart disease. The left ventricle is so poorly formed that it cannot pump efficiently.
1 AnswerGreenville Health System answered
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is a rare condition that occurs in one in 1,000 to 2,000 births. The condition occurs when a fetus inherits cell surface proteins from the father that are absent in the mother. The mother’s body then marks the baby’s platelets (cells necessary for blood clotting) as “invaders” and creates antibodies to destroy them. The fetus’s platelet count can drop dangerously low as a result, leading to potentially fatal hemorrhaging before or after birth.
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1 AnswerIntermountain Healthcare answeredCongenital heart defects are often detected and treated in infancy. However, for some people, the symptoms associated with a defect appear in adulthood. For example, if a heart valve is missing one of its "leaflets" (or flaps) at birth, over time the valve can become narrowed or leaky. The result is heart valve disease, which is treated by repairing or replacing the valve.