Patient's question:
Hello! I went to the hospital for a detailed ultrasound examination due to recurrent urinary tract infections. The results are as follows: Right kidney: vertical diameter 100mm, horizontal diameter 31cm, renal cortex thickness 13mm; Left kidney: vertical diameter 96mm, horizontal diameter 46cm, renal cortex thickness 17mm. The renal cortex echoes of both kidneys are slightly increased, no hydronephrosis, no tumors, no stones.Previous treatment and outcomes: Have you taken cephalosporin antibiotics and Sanjin tablets? Are the sizes of both kidneys normal? What does the slightly increased renal cortex echo of both kidneys mean? Is it urgent?
Doctor's answer:
Increased echoes in the renal cortex impede the excretion of urine from the renal pelvis, leading to a decrease in intrarenal pressure, expansion of the renal pelvis and calyces, and swelling of the renal parenchyma, which is referred to as hydronephrosis. Secondary hydronephrosis caused by stones, tumors, inflammation, and tuberculosis in various parts of the urinary system primarily exhibits the symptoms and signs of the primary condition, rarely showing the manifestations of hydronephrosis. It often reappears as renal colic when there is complete intestinal obstruction, such as during the impaction of renal and ureteral stones, and is only discovered when severe renal colic occurs.