Use of ultrasonography in the detection of ureteric reflux in children suspected of having urinary infection

The present study investigated whether ultrasonography was effective in detecting ureteric reflux in children suspected of having urinary infection. Seventeen children with febrile episodes and pyuria were enrolled. The ultrasound examination revealed ballooning of the renal pelvis during bladder contraction in 4 children, dilatation of the distal ureters in 6, and small kidney in 2. Cystography was performed on the 6 children with these ultrasound abnormalities and 1 child with two episodes of suspected urinary infection. Four children showed reflux. All of the 4 children had been found to have renal pelvic ballooning on ultrasound. None of the 10 children who did not undergo cystography had recurrence of urinary infection or significant bacteriuria during a median follow-up period of 12 months. Thus, scanning during bladder contraction was effective in detecting significant ureteric reflux.