Department of Radiology, UDIAT-Centre Diagnòstic, Institut Universitari Parc Taulí-UAB, Parc Taulí, Sabadell, 08208 Barcelona, Spain.
Pediatr Radiol. 2012 Jun;42(6):660-7. doi: 10.1007/s00247-012-2360-z. Epub 2012 May 12.
Voiding urosonography (VUS) is established as a technique for detecting vesicoureteral reflux in children.
To evaluate the quality of images of the entire urinary tract when using a second-generation US contrast agent and a modified VUS technique.
We evaluated 307 VUS examinations performed using SonoVue® in 591 pelvi-ureter units in 295 children of mean age, 27.1 (S.D., 42.5) months, with 154 (50.2%) of the examinations performed in boys; 58 children also underwent VUS using Levovist®. Three criteria were used for quality assessment of the bladder image: (1) progressive incorporation of contrast material in the bladder, (2) homogeneous bladder-filling to maximum capacity, and (3) visualisation of the posterior bladder wall.
Criterion 1 was fulfilled in 305 (99.3%), criterion 2 in 304 (99%) and criterion 3 in 304 (99%) studies. In children who underwent VUS with both contrast agents, the concordance between the two techniques was moderate for findings in the bladder (Cohen K = 0.487; P < 0001) and perfect for findings in the male urethra.
By a modified technique we obtained high-quality images of the bladder with the second-generation contrast agent.
排空式超声尿路造影（VUS）已被确立为一种检测儿童膀胱输尿管反流的技术。
评估第二代超声造影剂和改良 VUS 技术在整个尿路成像中的质量。
我们评估了 295 名儿童的 591 个肾盂输尿管单位的 307 次 SonoVue® VUS 检查，这些儿童的平均年龄为 27.1（标准差，42.5）个月，其中 154 名（50.2%）为男孩；58 名儿童还接受了 Levovist® VUS 检查。我们使用了三个标准来评估膀胱图像的质量：（1）对比剂在膀胱中的逐渐吸收，（2）膀胱充盈至最大容量的均匀性，（3）后膀胱壁的可视化。
305 项（99.3%）满足标准 1，304 项（99%）满足标准 2，304 项（99%）满足标准 3。在接受两种造影剂 VUS 检查的儿童中，两种技术在膀胱发现方面的一致性为中度（Cohen K = 0.487；P < 0001），而在男性尿道发现方面则为完全一致。
通过改良技术，我们用第二代造影剂获得了高质量的膀胱图像。
