Value of Ultrasonography in Detection of Urinary Tract Abnormalities in Children with Urinary Tract Infections

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more frequent pathology in children and one of the most common causes of childhood and infancy morbidity worldwide . An ultrasound scan is carried out to identify abnormalities in urinary tract. Many anatomical abnormalities of the urinary tract are detected during routine ultrasound examinations as part of prenatal care. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of UTIs in children play an important role in prevention of adverse sequels of UTIs. Hence, there is a real need to have an accurate and reliable diagnosis of UTI in children. Objective: To assess the value of ultrasonography examination in Iraqi children with UTIs. Methods: a prospective cross sectional study conducted in our hospital during a period of 2 years, included a total of 128 child-cases with UTIs and admitted for management in our hospital. Results: Child-cases with UTIs aged 2 – 15 years enrolled in this study with a median age of 7 years , males were 76 (59.4%) with a male to female ratio of 1.46 to one. Ultrasonography examination revealed normal findings in 83 cases while abnormal findings in 45 (35.2%). Ultrasound showed a sensitivity of 86.1%, a specificity of 84.8%, and accuracy of 85.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 68.9% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 94%. Conclusions: Ultrasound of the urinary system in children with UTIs is a non-invasive study that assesses the presence, size and shape of both kidneys. It allows the gross evaluation of the anatomy of the urinary tract and can also detect dilations and ureteral malformation . No significant differences reported to sex or age with regard to the findings of ultrasound.