Does maternal hydronephrosis have an impact on urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) levels?

AbstractObjective: To determine urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) levels and creatinine clearance values in women with different degrees of asymptomatic hydronephrosis during pregnancy.Methods: A total of 44 pregnant women with different degrees of hydronephrosis and 46 without hydronephrosis were consecutively enrolled in this prospective study. Basic serum and urine parameters, uNGAL levels, and creatinine clearance values were evaluated. All results were compared between the two groups. Regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors, which were mostly related to hydronephrosis.Results: Demographic data, basal laboratory parameters, and creatinine clearance values were similar, whereas significantly higher uNGAL levels were detected in women with hydronephrosis compared to those without hydronephrosis (45.3 versus 33.2 ng/mL, respectively) (p = 0.004). An increasing trend in uNGAL levels was detected with increasing degrees of hydronephrosis; as it was not stat...