Ultrasound of the pelvis and renal tract combined with a plain film of abdomen in young women with urinary tract infection: can it replace intravenous urography? A prospective study

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in women and intravenous urography (IVU) is a frequently requested radiological investigation for recurrent UTI. The aim of this study was to assess whether pelvic and renal ultrasound combined with a plain film of the abdomen (KUB) could replace IVU as the initial radiological investigation in young women with recurrent UTI. Ninety-four young women with recurrent UTI who were referred for IVU were studied. Ultrasound of the pelvis and renal tract was performed, and information obtained from ultrasound and KUB was compared with that obtained from the IVU examination. Patient management was altered as a result of radiological investigation in eight cases. A case of staghorn calculus and a case of pelviureteric junction obstruction were diagnosed by both IVU and ultrasound with KUB. An intrarenal abscess was diagnosed by ultrasound in a patient with a normal IVU. In addition ultrasound demonstrated significant findings in the pelvis, including ovarian and uterine abnormalities and an ectopic and an intrauterine pregnancy. In all cases the patient had symptoms referable to the urinary tract and a history of documented UTI. The KUB did not yield any unsuspected finding not diagnosed by ultrasound, but did serve to delineate more clearly the extent of calculus disease in two patients. We suggest that ultrasound of the pelvis and renal tract combined with a KUB should be the radiological investigation of choice in young women with UTI.