[A study of the validity of urinary tract infection diagnosis in children younger than two years of age at Hvidovre Hospital].

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to validate the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) concerning false-positive diagnoses in children younger than two years of age at Hvidovre Hospital.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The material consists of 89 children (50 girls and 39 boys) diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis from September 2002 until October 2004. Two patients dropped out as they were diagnosed in other countries. The patient records were investigated to identify the children who fulfilled the UTI criteria used in the department: 1) Two mid-stream urine samples with bacterial growth of = 10.000 cfu (colony forming units)/cc, 2) growth of = 100 cfu/cc in urine obtained by a suprapubic puncture of the bladder or 3) a mid-stream urine sample with bacterial growth of = 10.000 cfu/cc and a clinical picture of UTI together with elevated inflammatory laboratory parameters.

RESULTS

70 out of 87 patients (80%, 95% confidence limits 70-88%) had a valid UTI diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

We consider a diagnostic validity of 80% as satisfactory although our aim is to increase the validity to 90%.