Dr. Vivek M. Rege
Pediatric Surgeon & Pediatric Urologist
B J Wadia Hospital For Children, Hurkisondas Hospital, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai

This is a condition in which one or both sides kidneys in a child gets enlarged due to excessive accumulation of urine. The cause of the accumulation is obstruction to the onward passage of urine to the bladder. To get a better idea of what I am trying to say - let us get the basics right.

There are normally 2 kidneys in each human and are situated in the back of the abdominal cavity. The kidneys are responsible for producing urine. The kidney is made up of 2 parts - the solid part called parenchyma that is the place where the formation of urine occurs. The second part is the collecting system - the pelvis of the kidney where the urine is excreted. From the pelvis of the kidney the urine then flows into a tubular structure called the ureter that connects the pelvis to the urinary bladder below. The bladder is the storehouse for urine before it is evacuated by the child through the urethra.