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[Diagnostic value of urography in the study of arterial hypertension]
Insights
Intravenous urography can reveal silent kidney diseases in hypertensive patients, but over half of the urography studies were non-diagnostic. This diagnostic imaging technique shows potential but has limitations in diagnosing renal artery stenosis.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Radiology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Intravenous urography is widely used for hypertension evaluation, yet its diagnostic utility remains debated.
- Hypertension is a significant health concern requiring effective diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the diagnostic value of intravenous urography in hypertensive patients.
- To determine the incidence of renal abnormalities in hypertensive individuals using urography.
Main Methods:
- Review of 147 intravenous urography studies from 330 hypertensive patients.
- Comparison of urographic findings with the general population's abnormality rates.
Main Results:
- Higher prevalence of renal ptosis and polycystic kidneys observed in hypertensive patients.
- Intravenous urography identified clinically silent renal diseases in some patients.
- Over 50% of urography studies yielded non-diagnostic results.
- Challenges in diagnosing renal artery stenosis due to false positives and negatives.
Conclusions:
- Intravenous urography can detect occult renal pathologies in hypertension.
- The technique's effectiveness is limited by a high rate of non-diagnostic studies and diagnostic inaccuracies for renal artery stenosis.
Abstract:
In spite of the widespread use of intravenous urography and its extensive employment in the study of hypertension, there is still no unanimity of views as to its application in such pathology. 147 urographies belonging to 330 hypertense patients admitted to the Bari Medical Pathology Department between 1-1-1975 and 30-9-1977 have therefore been examined so as to assess its diagnostic value. Thereafter, the percentage of abnormalities found with urography were evaluated and compared with those in the population at large. Results stress on the one hand the higher incidence of renal ptosis and poly-cystic kidneys in the hypertense, and also highlight the possibility of revealing clinically silent diseases with this technique; on the other hand, many urographies (more than 50%) were useless and it is not always possible to diagnose certainly the presence of stenosis of the renal artery owing to the presence of false positives and negatives.