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Urinary Tract Infections in Infants and Children

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Imaging and Intervention in Urinary Tract Infections and Urosepsis

Abstract

Urinary tract is a common site of bacterial infection in children. Clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory analysis are nonspecific for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sometimes confusing. Nowadays, despite the availability of several imaging techniques to assess the urinary tract such as ultrasound (US), voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy, magnetic resonance urography (MRU), computed tomography (CT), and videourodynamic study (VUDS), there is still uncertainty regarding when and what examination is necessary to investigate UTIs. The role of imaging, in fact, is either to identify the predisposing genitourinary anomalies or the complications of UTIs, such as acute pyelonephritis, acute focal bacterial nephritis, renal abscess, and pyonephrosis, which may lead to important sequelae. In this chapter we try to clarify the role of different imaging techniques in the management of infants and children affected with UTIs, focalizing on the complicated forms. Rare forms of UTIs are briefly reported as well.

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Napolitano, M., Ravelli, A. (2018). Urinary Tract Infections in Infants and Children. In: Tonolini, M. (eds) Imaging and Intervention in Urinary Tract Infections and Urosepsis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68276-1_22

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