Unilateral Multicystic Kidney in Infancy

WITH THE modern trend toward specialization, more and more newborn infants are receiving thorough examinations by pediatricians. This is responsible for the early discovery of conditions which heretofore presented themselves only in late stages during childhood or adult life. The promptness with which infants are now subjected to specialized examinations and given definitive treatment has decreased materially the mortality and morbidity of many diseases. It is our purpose to present 2 recent cases of unilateral multicystic kidney and to emphasize the major points in diagnosis and management of the condition. ETIOLOGIC AND PATHOLOGIC ASPECTS There has been much speculation in the last decades concerning the cause of multicystic kidney.1Workers have not agreed on its etiologic basis; for this reason we omit a discussion of such theories. It is, however, fairly well established that the condition is pathologically unlike polycystic kidney. Multicystic kidney is usually bilateral and results in