OBJECTIVE: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common complication after urinary tract infection (UTI) and can lead to irreversible renal scar. Voiding cystourethrogram is the most reliable technology to detect VUR and its severity, but it is restricted in children\'s examinations for various shortcomings. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficiency of Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy and conventional ultrasonography (USG) in predicting VUR with the gold standard of cystourethrogram results.
METHODS: This retrospective study consisted of 285 first febrile UTI children under the age of 24 months who completed inflammatory indicator examinations, USG, Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy and underwent cystourethrography after controlling infection with prophylactic antibiotics. The efficiency of Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy and USG in predicting VUR was calculated and compared.
RESULTS: Abnormal USG (40.23% vs. 21.72%, P = 0.001) and Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy results (87.36% vs. 71.72%, P = 0.004) were more common in VUR children. The sensitivity of USG in predicting VUR was only 40.23%, whereas the sensitivity and negative predictive value of Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy reached 87.63 and 83.58%, respectively. Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy had a higher efficacy than USG in predicting high-grade reflux kidneys (73.87% vs. 33.33%; P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in predicting low-grade reflux kidneys ( P = 0.703).
CONCLUSIONS: Tc-99m DMSA renal scintigraphy had a significant higher efficiency in predicting VUR (a common cause of renal scarring, detected on DMSA) in first febrile urinary tract infection children under the age of 24 months as compared with USG, especially in high-grade reflux.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of an acute (99m)Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan in predicting dilating vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) among young children with a febrile urinary tract infection (UTI).
METHODS: The medical records of children (≤ 2 years of age), presenting with febrile UTI between January 2000 and December 2011, were retrospectively reviewed.
RESULTS: A total of 523 children were included in this study, of whom 397 children (75.9%) had abnormal DMSA results and 178 children (34.0%) were identified as VUR on micturating cystourethrography (MCU). Among all the patients, the number of children with dilating VUR was 151 (28.9%). The rate of abnormal results on DMSA for the dilating VUR group was significantly higher than the rates for the non-VUR and low-grade VUR groups (P < .01). In the <6 months age group and ≥ 6 months age group, the sensitivities of DMSA in predicting dilating VUR were 96.15% and 100.0%, respectively, the negative predictive values were 97.26% and 100.0%, respectively, and the negative likelihood ratios were 0.0911 and 0.0000, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: For children ≤ 2 years of age with a febrile UTI, an acute DMSA scan is valuable in the exclusion of dilating VUR. The likelihood of the presence of dilating VUR on MCU is rather low when the result of DMSA is negative. DMSA should be conducted to assess the need for an MCU.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article was to assess the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker for predicting dilating (grades III-V) vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in young children with a first febrile urinary tract infection.
METHODS: Children ≤2 years of age with a first febrile urinary tract infection were prospectively evaluated. Serum samples were tested for PCT at the time of admission to a tertiary hospital. All children underwent renal ultrasonography (US), Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scan, and voiding cystourethrography. The diagnostic characteristics of PCT test for acute pyelonephritis and dilating VUR were calculated.
RESULTS: Of 272 children analyzed (168 boys and 104 girls; median age, 5 months), 169 (62.1%) had acute pyelonephritis. There was VUR demonstrated in 97 (35.7%), including 70 (25.7%) with dilating VUR. The median PCT value was significantly higher in children with VUR than in those without (P < 0.001). Using a PCT cutoff value of ≥1.0 ng/mL, the sensitivity and negative predictive value for predicting dilating VUR were 94.3% and 95.4%, respectively, for PCT, and 97.1% and 97.8%, respectively, for the combined PCT and US studies, whereas the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 2.03 and 0.107, respectively, for PCT, and 1.72 and 0.067, respectively, for the combined studies. By multivariate analysis, high PCT values and abnormalities on US were independent predictors of dilating VUR.
CONCLUSIONS: PCT is useful for diagnosing acute pyelonephritis and predicting dilating VUR in young children with a first febrile urinary tract infection. A voiding cystourethrography is indicated only in children with high PCT values (≥1.0 ng/mL) and/or abnormalities found on a US.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of (99m)Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scanning in predicting vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) among young children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) and to investigate the priority in applying either micturating cystourethrography (MCU) or DMSA.
METHODS: The medical records of children (age < or = 2 years), presenting with febrile UTI between January 2000 and December 2009, were retrospectively reviewed. All cases underwent DMSA renal scan within 1 week after diagnosis and MCU within 1 week after infection. According to the results of MCU, children were divided into groups of non-VUR, low-grade and high-grade VUR.
RESULTS: A total of 370 children (233 boys, 137 girls) were included, of whom 263 (71.1%) had abnormal DMSA results and 126 (34.1%) were identified as VUR on MCU. Among children with VUR, the number of high-grade was 103 (81.7%). The rate of abnormal results on DMSA of high-grade VUR group was significantly higher than the rates of the other two groups (P < 0.01). The sensitivity of DMSA for detecting high grade VUR was 99.0%. The negative predictive value was 99.1% and negative likelihood ratio was 0.03, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: High-grade VUR remains an important risk factor of renal damage for young children with febrile UTI. The possibility to detect high-grade VUR on MCU is rather low when the result of DMSA is negative. It is recommended that DMSA be used before MCU to investigate the febrile UTI children at acute phase, because it would predict the majority of children with high-grade VUR while detecting renal lesions.

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the selective approach of imaging infants < 6 months old with urinary tract infection (UTI) according to the UTI guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2007. Infants < 6 months old with their first UTI from January 2001 to December 2006 having undergone an ultrasound examination of the urinary tract, a micturating cystourethrogram, and a late di-mercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan, were included. Their condition was evaluated against a set of risk features according to the UTI guidelines. Those having any one of these were classified as atypical and those having none as typical. There were 134 infants reviewed, with a typical (98 infants) to atypical (36 infants) ratio of 2.7 to 1. Girls were found to be relatively more represented in the atypical group [male (M):female (F) = 1.3:1] than in the typical group (M:F = 4.4:1) (P < 0.004). There were significantly more infants with abnormal micturating voiding cystourethrograms (MCUGs) (P = 0.007), more refluxing ureters (P < 0.001) and more significant vesico-ureteral reflux (VUR) (>/= grade III) (P = 0.013) in the atypical group than in the typical group; while there was no significant difference in ultrasound (US) and DMSA scan findings between the two groups. In the atypical group there was no difference in imaging studies (and, thus, the results) between the conventional practice and the NICE UTI recommendation. In the typical group, if the recommendations of the guidelines had been followed (i.e. only those with abnormal US would have been further investigated), 25 refluxing ureters and 22 scarred kidneys would have been left undiagnosed. In conclusion, application of the suggested selective imaging approach would leave a significant number of VUR and renal scars undiagnosed, and it may not be an optimal practice for infants less than 6 months old with their first UTI. The best approach remains to be clarified.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible mechanism of the technetium-99m complex of dimercaptosuccinic acid 99mTc(V)-DMSA accumulation in a model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced bacterial arthritis regulated by glucose.
METHODS: After making the S. aureus-induced bacterial arthritis model, 14 rabbits were divided into two groups randomly, with one group receiving 6 g/kg 30% glucose administration. Then all the rabbits were injected with 74 MBq 99mTc(V)-DMSA. Whole-body single photon emission computed tomography was applied at different time points. The change of blood pH after blood glucose was also assayed. The percentage of residual activity was evaluated over time in multiple regions of interest, including the inflammatory joint lesions and the contralateral normal joints. Regional joint tissue pH was measured with a needle probe at different times after injecting glucose solution. Forty-two rabbits were divided into six groups to assay the percentage injected dose.
RESULTS: 99mTc(V)-DMSA showed a noticeable osteotropic character in bone pathologies. There was no influence of biodistribution of 99mTc(V)-DMSA by glucose loading, but the glucose loading remarkably increased the uptake levels of 99mTc(V)-DMSA in inflammatory joint lesions. A peak difference in glucose-loaded lesion/normal uptake was observed after 6 h. The pH values of the inflammatory joints were noticeably lower than those of the normal joints of the contralateral legs.
CONCLUSIONS: The increased lesion uptake and tissue acidification in the glucose-loaded group supports the hypothesis that glucose acidosis increases DMSA uptake in bacterial arthritis, as has been observed in tumors.

This study compares the accuracy of 99mTc(V)-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc(V)-DMSA) Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT) by intravenous or local injection in the detection of occult cervical lymph node metastases in clinically N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Fifty-eight previously untreated patients without clinically detectable cervical metastases were included in the study and were divided into two groups. Twenty-eight patients were in the intravenous injection group and 30 patients were in the local injection (around primary tumors) group. Both groups received 99mTc(V)-DMSA, and 99mTc(V)-DMSA SPECT was performed on all patients. All isolated lymph nodes in neck dissection specimens were stained using H & E. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for intravenous injection of 99mTc(V)-DMSA was 62.5%, 95.0%, and 85.7%, respective, and 84.6%, 82.4%, and 83.3%, respectively, for local injection. SPECT scan of 99mTc(V)-DMSA injected around the tumor is a simple and efficient approach to detecting metastatic lymph nodes in clinically N0 patients with oral cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the applicability of 99mTc(V) -dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc (V) -DMSA) imaging in detecting neck metastases in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
METHODS: Single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) scintigraphy with 99mTc(V) -DMSA was performed on 32 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma in oral cavity. The coronal aspect of SPECT image was chosen, the region of interest (ROI) of the affected neck was drawn, and the radioactivity uptake value of the ROI was given by the computer to compare with the contralateral neck. The results of 99mTc(V) -DMSA were compared with postoperative pathological studies. For false positive lymph nodes, semi-continuous slice was carried out for pathology examination.
RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 99mTc(V) -DMSA imaging for detecting metastatic lymph nodes were 75.0%, 90.0% and 84.4% respectively. The ROI values of the affected neck are higher than that of the contralateral part in the 9 positive patients (t = 8.128, P = 0.000 04). Metastasis was not found in the enlarged lymph nodes of the false positive patients.
CONCLUSIONS: 99mTc(V) -DMSA SPECT imaging has fairly high affinity with metastatic lymph nodes in the neck especially in the cN0 patients and is helpful for designing proper neck dissection.

Women with diabetes mellitus (DM) have urinary tract infection (UTI) more often than women without DM. It is unknown, however, what the prevalence and type of renal damage due to UTI is in these women. Therefore, in this study, we compared type 2 DM women with or without UTI history for the prevalence and type of renal damage by technetium-99m dimercapto-succinic acid (Tc-99m DMSA) renal scan. A total of 128 type 2 DM women with or without UTI history received Tc-99m DMSA renal scan were included in this study. The patients were separated into three groups: (1) 43 patients without UTI history, (2) 42 patients with only lower UTI (cystitis) history and (3) 43 patients with upper UTI (pyelonephritis) history. The renal scan findings were separated into three types: (A) normal, (B) inflammation and (C) scar. The 31.9% (50/128) of type 2 DM patients had renal damages. Group 1 patients had a significantly lower prevalence of renal damages including inflammation and scar as compared to Groups 2 and 3 patients. In addition, the prevalence of renal damage was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Group 2 patients. Renal scars only were visualized in Group 3 patients. However, other clinical data were not statistically different among the three group patients. Type 2 DM women with UTI history, especially if they had upper UTI have a significantly higher prevalence of renal damage than in those without UTI.

In this preliminary study, we compared control women and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) women for the prevalence and type of renal damage as revealed by technetium-99m dimercapto-succinic acid (Tc-99m DMSA) renal scan.
METHODS: A total of 20 control women and 60 women with Type 2 DM received Tc-99m DMSA renal scan were included in this study. The 60 women with Type 2 DM were separated into three groups: 20 women without UTI history, 20 patients with cystitis histories only, and 20 with pyelonephritis histories.
RESULTS: All of the control women had normal Tc-99m DMSA renal scan findings. However, 38.3% of Type 2 DM wonmen had abnormal Tc-99m DMSA renal scan findings. Type 2 DM women without UTI history had no abnormal scan findings. The prevalence of abnormal renal scan findings was significantly higher in Type 2 DM women with pyelonephritis (90.0%) than with cystitis alone (25.0%). Renal scar findings were found only in Type 2 DM women with pyelonephritis (40.0%).
CONCLUSIONS: Compared with control women, women with Type 2 DM, especially if they had UTI and pyelonephritis histories, have a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal Tc-99m DMSA renal scan findings.