A duplicate kidney is the presence of two overlapping renal structures in place of one kidney, i.e., two kidneys or two ureters on one side.
Duplicate kidney is a common congenital renal or ureteral malformation disease of the urinary system. It is mainly due to abnormal development of unilateral or bilateral renal structures during development, resulting in two renal structures overlapping together. Partial duplication of the renal pelvis and ureter is called partial duplication renal malformation. If each kidney structure has two systems of renal pelvis and ureter, it is called complete duplicated kidney malformation.
Patients with duplicated kidneys can be left untreated if they have no special signs and symptoms, such as hydronephrosis. If the patient has recurrent urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence and other symptoms, the deformity can be corrected through surgery.
It is recommended that patients with duplicated kidneys should be detected and treated early, and the general prognosis is good.