Abstract
Purpose
To assess the performance of a pocket-sized ultrasound device (PUD) for evaluating dilatation of the renal collecting system with high-end ultrasound devices (HUDs) as a reference standard.
Methods
One sonographer examined both kidneys using a PUD to evaluate dilatation of the collecting system. The grading of the dilatation ranged from 0 to 4. Immediately after the examination, another sonographer blinded to the previous results performed a formal examination with a HUD.
Results
Two hundred kidneys in 100 patients were included in the analysis. The agreement of grades between the PUD and HUDs was excellent (weighted kappa = 0.83; P < 0.001). When hydronephrosis was defined as grade 1 or higher, the test characteristics of the PUD were as follows: sensitivity 91% (95% confidence interval (CI) 79–97%), positive predictive value 73% (95% CI 60–83%), and negative predictive value 96% (95% CI 92–99%). When hydronephrosis was defined as grade 2 or higher, the test characteristics were as follows: sensitivity 88% (95% CI 73–97%), positive predictive value 75% (95% CI 59–87%), and negative predictive value 98% (95% CI 94–99%).
Conclusion
Ultrasound using a PUD is useful for evaluating dilatation of the collecting system, especially for ruling out its presence.
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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Saiseikai Utsunomiya Hospital, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients.
Conflict of interest
Toru Kameda has received a lecturer honorarium from GE Healthcare unrelated to the submitted work. Kumiko Uebayashi, Kazuko Wagai, Fukiko Kawai, and Nobuyuki Taniguchi declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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Kameda, T., Uebayashi, K., Wagai, K. et al. Assessment of the renal collecting system using a pocket-sized ultrasound device. J Med Ultrasonics 45, 577–581 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-018-0881-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-018-0881-2