Renal vein thrombosis in neonates with acute kidney injury; using ultrasound to facilitate early detection

Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) usually presents in the first month of life and is associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). This case series examines five cases of RVT that occurred in a large tertiary neonatal intensive care unit in the northwest of England between 2019 and 2022.

Silvie Hitmarova
Neonatal ST7 GRID trainee, North-West School of Paediatrics

Hannah Brophy
Consultant Neonatologist, Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Kate Taylor-Robinson
Consultant Paediatric Radiologist, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool

Alison Bedford Russell
Consultant Neonatologist, Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Keywords

renal vein thrombosis; renal ultrasound; thrombocytocaemia; acute kidney injury; Doppler; hypertension; haematuria

Key points

Renal vein thrombosis usually presents in the first month of life.
Renal vein thrombosis is associated with acute kidney injury.
The haemostatic system differs with age and the concentration of anticoagulants such as antithrombin, proteins C and S are low at birth.
Data implies that there should be a higher index of suspicion.
Earlier Dopplers and ultrasound scans should be carried out.

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VOLUME 21 ISSUE 4/AUGUST 2025

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