Is baseline routine renal ultrasound indicated for all MS patients?

BACKGROUND: Most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) develop multiple urological complaints due to hyperactive or hypoactive bladder, and may have detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. Routine renal ultrasound (RUS) screening has been recommended for both symptomatic and asymptomatic MS patients; however, there is little data to support this practice. METHODS: Prospectively screened consecutive MS clinic patients in 2016-2017 with functional systems scores (FSS) indicating moderate to severe neurogenic bladder symptoms (FSS bladder ≥2) were sent for RUS. We also screened for history of urinary tract infections. RESULTS: 872 patients were screened between 3 September 2016 and 13 April 2017. 58 patients met inclusion criteria for RUS. 6 were excluded due to non-compliance with testing or unavailability of results; 52 patients were imaged. Only 3/52 patients were found to have renal pathology requiring follow-up. Of those three, one had known symptomatic nephrolithiasis, and one had subsequently normal findings, leaving one patient newly found to have valid abnormal upper urinary tract (UUT) findings. Multiple incidental findings were also discovered. CONCLUSION: The minimal yield for significant UUT pathology found in this enriched group of symptomatic MS patients indicates that RUS screening for asymptomatic MS patients without clear risk factors is not indicated. Red flags for high risk of UUT complications should be used as triggers for baseline RUS screening in MS patients.

Seizures, Antiepileptic Drugs, and CKD.

There are 2 major categories of patients with seizures and chronic kidney disease (CKD): patients who develop acute symptomatic seizures in the setting of CKD and patients with epilepsy who at some point develop CKD. The incidence of uremic seizures with kidney failure is ∼10%. These seizures are often nonconvulsive and may mimic uremic encephalopathy. Recognition and management of such situations may be challenging for treating physicians who are non-neurologists. Furthermore, practitioners caring for patients with seizures with or without an established diagnosis of epilepsy in the setting of CKD frequently encounter challenges in the selection, loading, titration, and maintenance of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) due to potentially altered pharmacokinetics of the AEDs. We review the pathophysiology of uremia, uremic seizures, and other neurologic complications of kidney failure; management approaches to the treatment of such complications; the relevant mechanisms of action and pharmacokinetics of AEDs with their use in CKD; and in particular, the management of AEDs in patients requiring hemodialysis therapy.