Cystic kidney disease

The term "cystic kidney disease" unites a group of kidney diseases of various causes, the defining feature of which is the presence of cysts in the kidneys.

Renal cysts are fluid-filled, dilated segments of the nephron or collecting duct of varying size, lined by a single layer of altered tubular epithelium. The fluid in the cysts usually communicates with the tubular contents; some cysts may communicate with the renal blood vessels and, rarely, with the contents of the renal pelvis.

Cysts can be found anywhere: in the cortex and medulla of the kidneys, in the renal pelvis and peripelvic area, and less often at the poles of the kidney. The size of the cysts and the amount of fluid in them can vary widely: small cysts (less than 2 mm in diameter) usually contain no more than 3 ml, while large cysts can contain liters of content. Kidney cysts can be either the same size (in polycystic disease in children) or significantly different in shape and size (in polycystic disease in adults); they can be single (solitary) or multiple, and located in one or both kidneys.

It is important to emphasize that in the kidneys, cysts coexist with areas of unchanged parenchyma. As the disease progresses, the number of cysts usually increases, their size increases, and the mass of preserved renal parenchyma decreases. It is the latter factor - the amount of intact tissue - that determines the functional state of the kidneys.

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Classification of cystic kidney diseases

• Polycystic diseases.
  • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
  • Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
• Acquired cystic kidney diseases (with azotemia, chronic hemodialysis treatment).
• Cystic diseases of the renal medulla.
  • Nephronophthisis (uremic medullary cystic disease).
  • Medullary spongiform disease.
• Simple cysts (single and multiple).
• Various parenchymal and nonparenchymal renal cysts.

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