Renal screening sonography-A comparative study in a Portuguese basic emergency service.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Sonography
• Urology

Background:

• Comparing sonographic findings from sonographers in Basic Emergency Services (BES) against Referral Hospital (RH) imaging.
• Evaluating the accuracy and relevance of preliminary sonographic assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of sonography performed by sonographers in BES with imaging at RH.
• To validate the appropriateness of patient referrals from BES to RH based on sonographic findings.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one patients with suspected renal pathology underwent initial sonography at BES.
• Subsequent imaging examinations were performed at RH for comparison.
• Results from BES and RH were analyzed for confirmation and referral accuracy.

Main Results:

• Strong association found between BES and RH findings for pyelocaliceal system dilatation (V=0.895, p=0.000) and simple cystic formations (V=0.878, p=0.000).
• High correlation (k=0.890, p=0.000 and k=0.870, p=0.000) between BES and RH findings.
• Sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 85% in identifying pyelocaliceal dilatation.

Conclusions:

• Renal sonographer reporting effectively detected urinary system abnormalities in suspected renal colic patients.
• Sonographic data from BES strongly correlated with RH imaging, suggesting its utility in Portugal.
• Radiographers/Sonographers can play a key role in preliminary assessment of urgent renal pathology in remote settings.