Ureteric jet Doppler waveform: is it a reliable predictor of vesicoureteric reflux in children?

The purpose of our prospective study was to find out whether ureteric jet Doppler waveform (UJDW) could be a reliable predictor of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in children, compared with echo-enhanced voiding ultrasonography (VUS). Echo-enhanced VUS was performed in 75 children, 57 girls and 18 boys, aged 3 years to 12 years, following the accepted indications for this procedure. During the same procedure the measurement of UJDW was also performed and was considered to be successful (in 70 children) when at least ten UJDWs were recorded per ureteric unit. Depending on the shape of the UJDWs, the sequences were classified into three groups: monophasic, suggestive of VUR; complex, not suggestive of VUR; and mixed sequence, suggestive of VUR when a certain ratio between monophasic and complex UJDWs was achieved. When all three sequences were taken into account, the overall sensitivity and specificity of this method in detecting VUR were 88.5% and 82.3%, respectively. These values seem high enough for this method to be considered as a good alternative to invasive micturating cystographies in screening children for VUR.