title: Color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) in the diagnosis of obstructive hydronephrosis in pregnant women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) accuracy of kidneys and bladder in the diagnosis and treatment of hydronephrosis and/or renal colic in pregnancies was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2010 and September 2012, 234 pregnant women asymptomatic in 204 cases and with unilateral renal colic in 30 (median 26 years) were evaluated. A CDU of the urinary tract was performed using a sonograph GE Logiq 500 PRO with a multifrequency (3-5 MHz) convex probe. The following parameters were evaluated: resistive index (RI) of the arciform arteries of both kidneys and bilateral ureteric jets. A renal RI > 0.70 and/or a 10 % difference between the kidneys and an asymmetric and/or reduced ureteric jet from the ureteric orifices were considered as diagnostic of obstructive uropathy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall incidence of hydronephrosis was equal to 27 % (63 out 234 cases); the incidence of hydronephrosis, RI > 0.70 and abnormal ureteric jet in asymptomatic vs symptomatic pregnant women was equal to 30.9 vs 50 %, 16.1 vs 50 %, 3 vs 60 % (p < 0.05), respectively. In the 63 pregnancies with asymptomatic hydronephrosis RI and ureteric jet evaluation were abnormal in 39 (19.1 %) and 6 cases (3 %), respectively. In the 30 pregnancies with renal colic conventional ultrasound vs CDU, findings were abnormal in 15 (50 %) vs 20 (66.7 %) (p = 0.015) cases, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Color Doppler ultrasound in pregnancies with hydronephrosis and/or renal colic improves conventional ultrasound accuracy; in fact, CDU adds a functional evaluation of the urinary tract when combined with clinical findings allows performing the appropriate management.
authors: Santo Bambino Hospital, Catania, Italy. piepepe@hotmail.com
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Pepe
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Pepe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056844:Renal Colic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D055815:Young Adult