A Comparative Study between Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Screening Ultrasound in Detection of Renal Anomalies in Neonates with Isolated Minor Ear Anomalies

Aim: To assess the usefulness of postnatal renal ultrasound in newborns with isolated external ear anomalies in the presence of a normal renal ultrasound on the routine surveillance prenatal ultrasound. Study design: 80 consecutive patients with isolated minor ear anomalies were collected retrospectively starting from December 2008 till February 2011; the prevalence of renal anomalies detected in postnatal ultrasound in those patients was compared with that detected in prenatal ultrasound. Results: Our study included only 64 patients with isolated minor ear anomalies who have prenatal and postnatal ultrasound while 16 patients were excluded (14 patients with no recorded data regarding the prenatal ultrasound, one patient with associated imperforate anus and another patient with unilateral undescended testes). Out of the 64 patients, only one patient was reported to have unilateral pyelactasis in prenatal ultrasound but was reported to be normal on postnatal ultrasound. Otherwise all prenatal renal ultrasound findings were normal on both the prenatal and postnatal renal ultrasound findings. Conclusion: There is no difference in the detection of renal anomalies between postnatal renal ultrasound in infants with isolated minor ear anomalies compared with that found on routine prenatal ultrasound.