Technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) study has been advocated as a method for the assessment of renal sequelae after acute febrile urinary tract infection (UTI). However, it is not known whether DMSA scintigraphy performed during acute UTI has any prognostic value for outcome assessment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of DMSA scintigraphy performed during UTI as a predictor of patient outcome, to identify children at risk of events [vesico-ureteral reflux (VUR) or recurrent UTI] that may lead to the development of progressive renal damage. One hundred and fifty-two children (including 78 girls) with a mean age of 20 months (range 1 month to 12 years) with first febrile UTI were evaluated by DMSA scintigraphy during acute UTI. After acute UTI, children were explored by voiding cysto-urethrography. Children who presented an abnormal DMSA study, or a normal DMSA study but VUR or recurrent UTI, underwent a DMSA control study 6 months after UTI. Children with VUR were followed up by direct radionuclide cystography. DMSA scintigraphy performed during acute UTI was normal in 112 children (74%). In 95 of these children, follow-up DMSA scintigraphy was not performed owing to a good clinical outcome. In the remaining 17 children, follow-up scintigraphy was normal. Forty children (26%) presented abnormal DMSA study during acute UTI. Twenty-five of them presented a normal follow-up DMSA, and 15 presented cortical lesions. Children with abnormal DMSA had a higher frequency of VUR than children with normal DMSA (48% vs 12%). It is concluded that children with normal DMSA during acute UTI have a low risk of renal damage. Children with normal follow-up DMSA and low-grade VUR have more frequent spontaneous resolution of VUR.

Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in childhood and is associated with long-term complications. We aimed to assess the effect of adjuvant dexamethasone treatment on reducing kidney scarring after acute pyelonephritis (APN) in children. Methods Multicenter, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial (RCT) where children from 1 month to 14 years of age with proven APN were randomly assigned to receive a 3-day course of either an intravenous corticosteroid (dexamethasone 0.30 mg per kg/day) twice daily or placebo. The late technetium 99 m-dimercaptosuric acid scintigraphy (> 6 months after acute episode) was performed to assess kidney scar persistence. Kidney scarring risk factors (vesicoureteral reflux, kidney congenital anomalies, or urinary tract dilatation) were also assessed. Results Ninety-one participants completed the follow-up and were finally included (dexamethasone n = 49 and placebo n = 42). Both groups had similar baseline characteristics. Twenty participants showed persistent kidney scarring after > 6 months of follow-up without differences in incidence between groups (22% and 21% in the dexamethasone and placebo groups, p = 0.907). Renal damage severity in the early DMSA (β = 0.648, p = 0.023) and procalcitonin values (β = 0.065 p = 0.027) significantly modulated scar development. Vesicoureteral reflux grade showed a trend towards significance (β = 0.545, p = 0.054), but dexamethasone treatment showed no effect. Conclusion Dexamethasone showed no effect on reducing the risk of scar formation in children with APN. Hence, there is no evidence for an adjuvant corticosteroid treatment recommendation in children with APN. However, the study was limited by not achieving the predicted sample size and the expected scar formation. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02034851. Registered in January 14, 2014. Graphical abstract “A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.”

A single oral dose of amitriptyline can induce changes in the uptake and retention of cardiac MIBG, indicating the feasibility of use of pharmacological intervention in cardiac neurotransmission imaging.

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