Bladder Volume Wall Index In Children With Urinary Tract Infections

Few studies have focused on the correlation between bladder ultrasound and urinary tract infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bladder volume wall index in children with single or recurrent urinary tract infection.Methods & Materials: This case-control study was conducted between March 2008 and December 2009. The study was performed on one hundred children (8 boys, 92 girls) aged 4-15 years with a history of urinary tract infection and thirty-nine (20 males, 19 females) age- matched healthy children who had negative urine culture one month before investigation. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder sonography were performed in all children. Bladder volume wall index was calculated for each child and the result of 70-130 was presumed normal. Student T-test, chi-square, likelihood ratio, and risk ratio were used. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. The mean bladder volume was 262.5 (±82) in recurrent urinary tract infection, 235 (±54) in single urinary tract infection, and 278 (±80) in controls (P<0.05). The bladder was thick (<70) in 37 (28 cases, 9 controls) and thin (>130) in 38 children (28 cases, 10 controls) (P>0.05). The median residual volume was not different between the two groups. The abnormal BVWI in children with vesicoureteral (VU) reflux was 75% as compared to 51% in those without VU reflux (P>0.05). There was no correlation between BVWI and age, gender, groups, vesicoureteral reflux status, or residual volume (P>0.05). According to our findings, the bladder volume wall index is not sensitive enough to discriminate children who are prone to urinary tract infection.