Is urinary tract screening necessary for patients with cerebral palsy?
Publication/Presentation Date
11-1-1994
Abstract
Patients with cerebral palsy are prompted to seek urological evaluation when urinary tract infection, socially unacceptable incontinence or hematuria occurs. We attempted to determine the prevalence of urinary tract structural changes by prospectively screening on sonography the kidneys and bladder of 90 patients 1 to 25 years old (mean age 8 years) who had cerebral palsy with or without urological symptoms. Uncooperative patients or those who would require sedation were excluded. Of the patients 66 were incontinent and used diapers, 18 were completely dry and 6 had nocturnal enuresis with daytime dryness. Sonographic abnormalities were detected in 7 patients, including renal size discrepancy in 2 (1 with severe scoliosis and 1 with a history of renal artery thrombosis), mild to moderate hydronephrosis with thickened bladders suggestive of neurogenic bladder dysfunction in 3 and a nonvisualized kidney in 2. However, repeat sonography confirmed 2 normal kidneys in the latter patients. Thus, urinary tract abnormalities were detected unexpectedly in 2% of patients studied. This relatively low proportion suggests that routine urinary tract screening in cerebral palsy patients may not be warranted.
Volume
152
Issue
5 Pt 1
First Page
1586
Last Page
1587
ISSN
0022-5347
Published In/Presented At
Brodak, P. P., Scherz, H. C., Packer, M. G., & Kaplan, G. W. (1994). Is urinary tract screening necessary for patients with cerebral palsy?. The Journal of urology, 152(5 Pt 1), 1586–1587. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-5347(17)32481-3
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics
PubMedID
7933210
Department(s)
Department of Pediatrics
Document Type
Article