Renal Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Acute Kidney Injury in the Emergency Department

Bennidor Raviv^1, and Shlomo Hanan Israelit¹

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel

Cite this paper:
Bennidor Raviv and Shlomo Hanan Israelit. Renal Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Acute Kidney Injury in the Emergency Department. American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. 2014; 2(5):103-105. doi: 10.12691/ajcmr-2-5-3

Abstract

Background: Acute kidney injury is common in hospitalized patients, and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Only in a small part of cases it is secondary to obstructive etiologies. Ultrasonography of the urinary tract is todaya routine part of the evaluation of patients with acute kidney injury, and is debated regardingits value in the evaluation of all patients with acute kidney injury. Methods: A retrospective analysis of data of patients who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary medical center with acute kidney injury and who underwent ultrasound studies of the urinary tract. Aims: to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonography as a routine part in the evaluation of acute kidney injury in the emergent setting and to identify factors that may identify patients who will benefit of the study and patients who will not. Results: Substantial obstructive pathology was detected in more than 10% of the studies performed. The known history of nephrolithiasis and the use of anti-hypertensive medicines of the ARB/ACE groups and of diuretics were factors shown to have effect on the outcome of the studies performed. Conclusions: Ultrasonography is an important part of the routine evaluation of AKI in the emergency room. Use of certain medicines and history of urinary tract stonesare factors predictive of the findings on imaging studies.

Keywords:
acute kidney injury ultrasonography Emergency department

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