Do current scientific reports of hydronephrosis make the grade?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Pediatric Urology
• Pediatric Nephrology
• Medical Imaging
• Scientific Publication Analysis

Background:

• The Upper Tract Dilation (UTD) classification was introduced in 2014 to standardize descriptions of congenital hydronephrosis in ultrasound imaging.
• Adoption of the UTD classification by the academic community has been hypothesized to be slow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the preferred hydronephrosis grading systems utilized in scientific publications.
• To assess the adoption rate of the UTD classification scheme in recent literature.

Main Methods:

• A PubMed search for 'hydronephrosis' was conducted, reviewing abstracts published between May 2017 and May 2019.
• 197 manuscripts were analyzed for journal, author specialty, country, article type, primary pathology, and hydronephrosis classification system used.
• Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate differences in classification system usage based on author specialty, manuscript type, and pathology.

Main Results:

• The most common author specialties were pediatric urology, urology, pediatric surgery, and pediatric nephrology.
• Retrospective studies constituted the majority (48.2%) of the included manuscripts.
• The Upper Tract Dilation (UTD) classification was used in only 5.6% of publications, compared to 37.1% for Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grading and 32.5% for Anterior-Posterior Diameter (APD) measurements.
• Over 20% of manuscripts failed to categorize hydronephrosis, and over one-third used no classification system or descriptive terminology.

Conclusions:

• The Upper Tract Dilation (UTD) system is not widely adopted in current scientific literature.
• Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grading and APD measurements are the predominant methods for hydronephrosis classification in publications.
• Variability in grading systems and a lack of standardized classification present challenges in research and clinical applications, highlighting a need for clearer guidelines and education.