Comparison of DMSA Scintigraphy and USG in Detecting Renal Cortical Scars in Children with Urinary Tract Infection

Objective Multiple imaging techniques may be used to evaluate the development of progressive renal damage in children with urinary tract infections (UTIs). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy and renal ultrasonography (USG) in detecting renal scars in children with UTIs. Methods A total of 630 kidneys from 364 children were included in the study and the results of DMSA and USG of children with UTIs were evaluated retrospectively between January 2016 and October 2017. DMSA scintigraphy is accepted as the gold standard and it was compared with USG results. Results The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for USG in the detection of renal scarring was found as 57.1, 89.6, 40.8, and 94.4%, respectively. Conclusions Although USG is known to be safe, readily available, and relatively inexpensive, the sensitivity of USG does not seem to be sufficient to identify the renal parenchymal damage. We concluded that USG cannot replace DMSA in the evaluation of renal scarring.