American Academy of Pediatrics Offers Standard of Care for Patients With Perinatal Urinary Tract Dilation

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance to pediatricians on the evaluation and management of perinatal urinary tract dilation, a condition that occurs in approximately 1% of all pregnancies, within a clinical report published in the 2025 Pediatrics. The report, “Perinatal Urinary Tract Dilation: Recommendations on Pre-/ Postnatal Imaging, Prophylactic Antibiotics, and Follow-up,” published online June 16, notes that the condition is the second most common congenital anomaly detected prenatally, after cardiac defects. The report helps pediatricians explain urinary tract dilation to parents, including advice on monitoring the condition both prenatally and postnatally, and recommendations on timing of additional imaging tests; when to see a specialist; and the use of preventive antibiotics. Most cases do not require surgical intervention, but a subset of patients may be at increased risk of urologic and kidney disease, according to AAP. The clinical report notes that the recommendations were by a multidisciplinary group of pediatricians, radiologists, urologists, and nephrologists and creates a clear, consensus-backed standard for care across specialties. Clinical reports created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.