Importance of the renal resistive index in children suffering from vesicoureteral reflux.

Abstract

in our study, we wanted to assess changes and values of the renal resistive index (RI) in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) techniques. We investigated 92 kidney units in 46 children (mean age 6 +/- 4 years) with VUR by means of CDUS. The RI was measured at the level of the interlobar and/or arcuate arteries using a color Doppler unit Acuson 128 XP/10. The CDUS findings were correlated with those obtained using standard renal scintigraphy. Children with VUR grades I-III showed a RI of 0.6 +/- 0.07, whereas patients suffering from VUR grades IV and V demonstrated a significantly increased RI of 0.77 +/- 0.07 (p < 0.0001). The correlation of the CDUS measurements with the scintigraphic findings revealed a positive correlation coefficient of r2 = 0.61. CDUS seems to be a helpful, radiation-free, noninvasive, and inexpensive tool in children with VUR, demonstrating a significant change in the RI especially in high-grade reflux. Moreover, the RI findings represent a good correlation with standard renal scintigraphy. Therefore, CDUS with assessment of the RI allows a perfect follow-up study of affected children.