Utility of ultrasound of the upper urinary tract in elderly men with indicators of obstructive symptoms or abnormal flow: how often can silent hydronephrosis be detected in general practice?
Tham. Van Der Waart et al., Utility of ultrasound of the upper urinary tract in elderly men with indicators of obstructive symptoms or abnormal flow: how often can silent hydronephrosis be detected in general practice?, FAM PRACT, 15(6), 1998, pp. 534-536
Background and objective. While the prevalence of hydronephrosis is very lo
w in obduction studies, a prevalence of 3-13% is reported for patients with
an obstruction who are listed for prostatectomy. In order to evaluate the
usefulness of transabdominal ultrasound in primary care, we determined the
occurrence of hydronephrosis in males with symptoms of urinary obstruction
in a general practice setting.
Method. A micturition questionnaire (a modified Boyarsky) was sent to all m
en of 55 years or more who were registered in 10 general practices in Maast
richt, and was followed by an examination at their general practice. Men wi
th obstructive symptoms and/or with a free-flow abnormality were examined i
n the hospital with transabdominal ultrasound in order to detect dilatation
of the upper urinary tract. This ultrasound was repeated approximately 15
months later.
Results. At the first measurement, none of the examined men (n = 178) had h
ydronephrosis, and this was still the case for 94 men 15 months later.
Conclusion. Renal ultrasound is not necessary in general practice for men w
ith uncomplicated obstructive complaints.