Non-dilated obstructive nephropathy

Obstructive nephropathy (ON) is a common and reversible cause of post-renal acute kidney injury (AKI) and may be caused by a variety of conditions. It occurs when both the upper urinary tracts are obstructed or when one tract is obstructed in patients with a solitary kidney. ON is suspected whenever there is evidence of hydronephrosis at imaging. However, not all patients with obstruction develop hydronephrosis and significant obstruction can be present in the absence of hydronephrosis. This syndrome is called non-dilated obstructive uropathy (NDOU). It accounts for about 5% of cases of urinary obstruction and the diagnosis can be challenging. The current paper provides an overview of the literature aiming to identify the main causes NDOU and its clinical presentation, in order to clarify when to suspect it among AKI cases. A narrative review was performed due to the overall low quality of the available evidence. Only patients with post-renal AKI and a non-dilated or minimal dilation of the intrarenal collecting system were included. As evidenced by our review, NDOU is most prevalent in the fifth and sixth decade of life and affects mainly the male gender. On hospital admission serum creatinine levels are usually very high. Among the most common clinical presentations are the oliguria/anuria, abdominal pain, signs of retention like oedema or pleural effusion and nausea/vomiting. About three out of four cases of NDOU are due to an ab-extrinsic compression of the ureters caused by retroperitoneal fibrosis or malignant disease. An effective and minimally invasive urinary diversion is obtained with ureteric stenting or a percutaneous nephrostomy. A correct diagnosis of NDOU may be challenging but it is of paramount importance as it can lead to a prompt management with a potential complete resolution of both obstruction and acute renal failure.