Diagnostic value of the resistive index and ureteral jets in renal colic: case-control study.

Résumé

Objectives: To assess the contribution of Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis and therapeutic choice of renal colic.

Materials and methods: Case-control study, the Group 1 consisted of patients presenting a unilateral renal colic. Asymptomatic patients represented group 2. The CT urography was the gold standard. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA test and Pearson correlation. A p <0.05 was significant.

Results: There was a good positive correlation between the pyelon posteroanterior diameter and RI of affected kidney (r = 0.59). The means of diseased and healthy kidneys RI were respectively 0.69 ± 0.07 and 0.55 ± 0.05. The difference was statistically highly significant; p = 0.0005. A complete obstacle was plausible if ureteral jets were absent during 5 minutes at Doppler ultrasound (9.7%). The sensitivity and the specificity of RI ⥠0.7 in the diagnosis of acute urinary obstruction were respectively 22.6% and 100%; those of RI â¥0.05 were 100% each.

Conclusion: The measurement of RI (especially RI) is a non invasive and not radiating means to the diagnosis of acute urinary tract obstruction. The absence of ureteral jets during 5 minutes means total obstacle.