Keywords:
Paediatric, Urinary Tract / Bladder, Contrast agents, Ultrasound, Digital radiography, Cystography / Uretrography, Contrast agent-other, Comparative studies, Infection
Authors:
V. Costanzo1, T. V. Bartolotta1, M. R. VACCARO NOTTE1, R. Lagalla1, M. Midiri1, A. Benenati2; 1Palermo/IT, 2Alcamo/IT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2387
Aims and objectives
VUR is a common disorder in children that leads to ascending infection,
renal growth impairment and parenchymal scarring; the reflux nephropathy is responsible for 30-50% of renal failure in children.
[1-4]
Primary VUR is the most common congenital anomaly and it is seen in 0.5-1.5% of children.
The prevalence for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in young children (< 4 years) is 25% which is higher than its prevalence (12%) in 4-12 years children.
VUR might occur in an otherwise normally functioning bladder or might be secondary to poor bladder emptying because of bladder outlet obstruction or neurogenic bladder,
too.
[9]
Voiding urosonography (VUS) is a radiation-free technique to diagnose vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) with high-quality images at low cost,
thanks to technological advances,particularly contrast-specific US-modes based on harmonic frequencies and second-generation ultrasonic contrast agents (UCA) with longer half-lives.
[6]
The purpose of this study was to compare contrast-enhanced harmonic voiding urosonography (VUS),
using Second-generation contrast agents,
with voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) as the reference method,
evaluating agreement in vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) detection and grading.