Will the implementation of the 2007 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on childhood urinary tract infection (UTI) in the UK miss significant urinary tract pathology?

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Most centres continue to investigate children extensively after a urinary tract infection. These investigations are invasive, time consuming and expensive and despite their widespread application they have not had a significant impact on the rates of chronic renal failure secondary to infection. Despite this evidence the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines generated significant controversy that abnormalities would be missed, placing children at increased risk of renal injury, thus reducing their implementation. Significant underlying abnormalities of the urinary tract will not be missed if the NICE guidelines are followed. This will reduce the unpleasant investigations that children will be subjected to and it should lead to considerable cost savings. The NICE guidelines are safe and should be widely implemented. OBJECTIVE • To investigate whether the implementation of the August 2007 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines would miss significant urinary tract pathology in children with urinary tract infection (UTI). PATIENTS AND METHODS • All ultrasound (US) performed in children aged >6 months, during the year 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2007 for UTI, were retrospectively studied. • Each US scan in the study population of 346 was categorised dependent on whether it was appropriate or inappropriate to have been performed under the new guidelines and whether the US scan was normal or abnormal. • The records of each patient with an inappropriate abnormal US scan were re‐analysed to see if patient management was affected by the US scan. • In 2011 patients with an original inappropriate abnormal US scan were re‐evaluated to identify if any had presented with further urinary pathology. RESULTS • In accordance with the NICE guidelines patients were divided by age. • Children aged 0.5–3 years: 78/95 (82%) US scans were inappropriate of which 12 (15%) were abnormal and four of these had a further documented UTI. After careful assessment of the US abnormalities it was judged that only one would have benefited from the initial US scan. • Children aged >3 years: 146/251 (58%) US scans were inappropriate of which 21(14%) were abnormal and six of these (29%) had a further documented UTI. After careful assessment of the US abnormalities it was judged that only three of 21 (14%) would have benefited from the initial US scan. CONCLUSIONS • T