Urological anomalies and chronic kidney disease in children with anorectal malformations

This study aims to predict risk factors for urological anomalies in children with anorectal malformations (ARM) and describes the clinical features of patients who have developed chronic kidney disease.

We retrospectively reviewed infants with ARM who received surgery and were followed at the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital, Malaysia, from 1986 to 2010.

One hundred and twenty-two children with anorectal malformations were studied, after excluding 24 children with incomplete data. Three factors were significant as predictors of the presence of a urological anomaly: high ARM lesion (OR 3.12, 95%CI 1.1–8.9), the presence of genital abnormality (OR 2.95, 95%CI 1.10–7.91) and cloacal anomaly in girls (OR 8.27, 95% CI 1.91–35.6). The most common anomalies were vesicoureteric reflux, single kidney and neurogenic bladder. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was noted in 5.7%, in children who had recurrent urinary tract infections, neurogenic bladder or complex renal tract pathology; end-stage renal failure was seen in only 0.8% of children with ARM.

Urological anomalies were seen in 23% of patients, but the overall incidence of CKD and end-stage renal disease is low. Early identification of infants with ARM at risk of renal failure may be important for renal survival.