[Urinary tract malformations. Symptomatology, delayed diagnosis and urinary tract infections]. / Le uropatie malformative. Sintomatologia, ritardo diagnostico e infezione delle vie urinarie.

The authors examined 88 patients (32 Males and 56 Females) aged between 1 day and 13 years, suffering from urinary tract malformation, diagnosed during 1981-82 . The vesicoureteral reflux was the urinary tract malformation most frequently observed (56.81%). The patients showed symptoms of the illness within the first year of life in a percentage of 52%, while the 82% was symptomatic in 5 years. 30 months and 11 days was the average age at which the symptoms of the illness appeared, while the diagnosis was effected at an average of 47 months and 15 days. The authors pointed out the reasons of this diagnostic delay and the possibilities of filing it up. Urinary tract infection was found at the time of hospitalization in a percentage of 55%. The authors described the kind of germs isolated and their resistance to the most common antibiotics.

[Laboratory parameters as a guide for the radiologic study of infections of the urinary tract in childhood]. / I parametri di laboratorio come guida allo studio radiologico delle infezioni delle vie urinarie in età pediatrica.

Forty-nine children with urinary tract infection aged between 15 days and 10 years were studied. Thirty-three of them (67.3%) had urinary tract malformations. We valued the following parameters: a) White Blood Cells; b) Leukocyte differential; c) ESR at the first hour; d) CRP; e) Concentration ability; f) Body temperature. We wanted to investigate the usefulness of these parameters to predict which patients should be studied by X-ray of urinary tract. Single parameters did not prove very sensitive; the highest correlations were found with ESR and CRP, which were positive in 76% of the cases of malformations. Furthermore we valued the sensitivity and specificity of the tests grouped together: the highest values of sensitivity (97%) and specificity (31%) were obtained coupling the ESR and concentration ability.