1. Utilization of Radiographic Imaging for Infant Hydronephrosis over the First 12 Months of Life.
- Author
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Schaeffer AJ, Cartwright PC, Lau GA, Ebert MD, Fino NF, Nkoy FL, and Hess R
- Abstract
Purpose: The workup and surveillance strategies for infant hydronephrosis (HN) vary, although this could be due to grade-dependent differences in imaging intensity. We aimed to describe the frequency of imaging studies for HN within the first year of life, stratified by initial HN grade, within a large regional healthcare system. Study Design and Data Source . Retrospective cohort using Intermountain Healthcare Data Warehouse. Inclusion criteria: (1) birth between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2013, (2) CPT code for HN, and (3) ultrasound (U/S) confirmed HN within four months of birth. Data Collection . Grade of HN on initial postnatal U/S; number of HN-associated radiologic studies (renal U/Ss, voiding cystourethrograms (VCUGs), and diuretic renal scans); demographic and medical variables. Primary Outcome . Sum of radiologic studies within the first year of life or prior to pyeloplasty. Statistical Analysis . Multivariate poisson regression to analyze association between the primary outcome and the initial HN grade., Results: Of 1,380 subjects (993 males and 387 females), 990 (72%), 230 (17%), and 160 (12%) had mild, moderate, and severe HN, respectively. Compared with those with mild HN, patients with moderate (RR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.42-1.73) and severe (RR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.88-2.32) HN had a significantly higher rate of imaging use over 12 months (or prior to surgery) after controlling for potential confounders., Conclusions: In a large regional healthcare system, imaging use for HN is proportional to its initial grade. This suggests that within our system, clinicians treating this condition are using a risk-stratified approach to imaging., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Anthony J. Schaeffer et al.)
- Published
- 2020
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