Search
Search
Close this search box.

Ectopic

Ectopic

Ectopic: “occurring in an abnormal position or in an unusual manner or form” Thank you to my favorite dictionary of all time, The Merriam-Webster, for that definition. You may have heard of an ectopic pregnancy. Healthline explained what that is:

“From fertilization to delivery, pregnancy requires a number of steps in a woman’s body. One of these steps is when a fertilized egg travels to the uterus to attach itself. In the case of an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg doesn’t attach to the uterus. Instead, it may attach to the fallopian tube, abdominal cavity, or cervix.

While a pregnancy test may reveal a woman is pregnant, a fertilized egg can’t properly grow anywhere other than the uterus. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1 out of every 50 pregnancies (20 out of 1,000).”

While that’s interesting, it’s not what I’ll be writing about today. Rather, I’ll be writing about an ectopic kidney. From the above, we can already figure out that this means the kidneys were in the wrong place. The National Institutes of Health can explain better than I can:

“What is an ectopic kidney? An ectopic kidney is a kidney located below, above, or on the opposite side of the kidney’s normal position in the urinary tract. The two kidneys are usually located near the middle of your back, just below your rib cage, on either side of your spine.”

This didn’t sound so good to me. What causes an ectopic kidney, I wondered. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:

“During fetal development, a baby’s kidneys first appear as buds inside the pelvis, near the bladder. As the fetal kidneys develop, they climb gradually toward their normal position near the rib cage in the back. Sometimes, one of the kidneys fails to make the climb. It may stop after making part of the climb. Or it may remain in the pelvis. Rarely does a child have two ectopic kidneys. Some kidneys climb toward the rib cage, but one may cross over so that both kidneys are on the same side of the body. When a crossover occurs, the two kidneys may grow together and become fused.”

Having two little grandchildren, I found this fascinating. How are such things not common knowledge? I realize that’s an unrealistic attitude.

So, here we have a poor little baby and unsuspecting parents. How do they become aware of the condition? The Urology Care Foundation listed the symptoms to keep watch for:

“The most common symptoms linked to the ectopic kidney are:

A kidney in an abnormal spot may still work properly. But because of the change, it may have problems draining. Up to 1 out of 2 ectopic kidneys are at least partly blocked. Over time, these blockages can lead to serious problems, such as:

Ectopic kidneys are also linked to vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). VUR is a condition where urine backs up from the bladder through the ureters into the kidneys. Over time, VUR can lead to infections. Infections can cause damage to the kidney that can’t be fixed. The non-ectopic kidney can also have problems like blockages or VUR.”

Uh-oh, I know of a little baby with VUR. What’s to be done if a baby does have an ectopic kidney? Wait, I think you first need to know that there are two types of ectopic kidneys. Associates in Nephrology had a nice, simple description of the two for us. [Remember that renal and kidney are the same.]:

“Renal ectopia is divided into two types. A simple renal ectopia is marked by a kidney sitting on each side of the spine, but above or below its normal placement. The other type is a crossed renal ectopia, which occurs when both kidneys develop on the same side of the spine. Crossed renal ectopic kidneys sometimes fuse together.

The condition doesn’t cause any health problems or symptoms if one or both kidneys function properly. In fact, most people don’t know they have an ectopic kidney until it’s detected by medical tests for another disorder.

Yet some people experience pronounced symptoms stemming from renal ectopia that could produce a urinary tract infection; pain and/or a lump in the abdomen; bloody urine; frequent urination; or a burning sensation when you urinate.”

Don’t lose hope! There are remedies for this condition [if any is required]. The National Kidney Foundation was helpful here:

“An ectopic kidney only needs treatment if it causes problems with your urine flow. If this is the case, your healthcare provider will need to evaluate your kidney.  If the problem is caught soon enough, your healthcare provider can treat it. This includes treating the infection, removing the blockage, or fixing the urine flow before kidney damage happens. Sometimes surgery may be needed. This can correct the position of the kidney. That will lead to better drainage of urine.

If the kidney is severely damaged and not working properly, your healthcare provider may suggest removing it.  This will only be done if your other kidney is working well. “

Urine flow? What does that have to do with anything? MedlinePlus explained the usual urine flow:

“Urine flows from each kidney through tubes called ureters and into the bladder. When the bladder is full, it squeezes and sends the urine out through the urethra. No urine should flow back into the ureter when the bladder is squeezing. Each ureter has a one-way valve where it enters the bladder that prevents urine from flowing back up the ureter.

But in some people, urine flows back up to the kidney. This is called vesicoureteral reflux.

Over time, the kidneys may be damaged or scarred by this reflux.…”

You may notice that this blog was meant to be published last Monday. Between health and computer problems, obviously, it wasn’t. Apologies.

The things you learn! I started this blog 13 years ago and never once was I in the position of not having a topic to write about. Thank you to those who suggested topics and to all who read the blog.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

The URI to TrackBack this entry is: https://gailraegarwood.wordpress.com/2023/10/22/ectopic/trackback/

RSS feed for comments on this post.