Uncomplicated urinary infection in women: diagnosis

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of the LINEAR Cromatest and Laboquick URS 10-T Dipsticks Among Urinary Tract Infection Suspects in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) bring a significant and serious health-related problem. Repeated infections may lead to the development of renal scarring and end-stage renal dysfunction. Therefore, balancing the choices of UTI diagnostic tools depending on the costs versus accuracy can minimize false results that may subject patients to wrong treatments.

Objective

The objective of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LINEAR cromatest and Laboquick URS 10-T dipsticks against conventional urine culture at Arsho Advanced Medical Laboratory (AAML), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

A similar cohort of UTI-suspected patients from our previous study, who were prospectively enrolled from Arsho Advanced Medical Laboratory, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were considered for this analysis. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of different dipsticks were calculated using culture as a gold standard. ROC curve analysis was also used to determine diagnostic performance. A test with a P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Out of 446 urine samples processed, bacterial growth was observed in 141 (31.6%). Of this figure, 105/141 (74.5%) and 36/141 (25.5%) were from female and male participants, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the LINEAR Cromatest dipstick were 83.7% and 67.9%, respectively (P-value <0.001). The Laboquick URS 10-T dipstick showed sensitivity and specificity of 87.9% and 68.5%, respectively (P-value <0.001). The ROC analysis showed an AUC of >0.7 for both dipsticks.

Conclusion

In a setting where there is no access to urine culture, the urine dipstick may be considered an alternative diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of UTIs.

Utility of 2-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography for Assessment of the Bladder Wall in Children With Acute Cystitis

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of 2-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE) in the diagnosis of acute cystitis (AC) in children.

METHODS

Between June 2019 and March 2020, 126 children with AC and 126 healthy participants were prospectively investigated by 2D SWE and B-mode ultrasound. Elastographic measurements were performed by drawing the contours of the posterior wall of the bladder between the ureter orifices using a free region of interest. The quantitative 2D SWE values of the patients and the healthy group were compared.

RESULTS

The mean 2D SWE values of the bladder wall were significantly higher in patients with AC compared to the healthy group (P = .001). On B-mode ultrasound imaging, the bladder wall thickness of patients with AC was higher than that in the healthy group (P = .001). On 2D SWE, when the cutoff value used was 9.25 kPa, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 92.1%, 88.1%, 89.3%, and 92.6%, respectively, whereas when the cutoff value used was 1.72 m/s, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 90.5%, 88.9%, 89.1%, and 90.7%. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the 2D SWE values and wall thickness measurements (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Two-dimensional SWE is a noninvasive, fast, and effective imaging method to evaluate the bladder wall in children with AC.