Moderate Hydronephrosis among Acute Ureteral Calculus on Ultrasonographic Imaging in a Tertiary Care Center in Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Ureteric calculi are lying at any point of ureter from the pelvic ureteric junction to the vesicoureteral junction. If left untreated, ureteropelvic junction obstruction can lead to hydronephrosis. With the improved availability of computed tomography and ultrasound scanning, hydronephrosis is being diagnosed more frequently. The main aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of moderate Hydronephrosis among ureteral calculus on ultrasonography imaging in a tertiary care center of Nepal.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 acute ureteral calculus cases at Radiodiagnosis and Imaging Department of Chitwan Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur from 15th August 2020 to 15th May 2021. The ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of same institution. Convenient sampling technique was used to select the participant. . The collected data was entered in excel 16 and analysed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was done and frequency and percentage were calculated

Results: Out of the 110 cases of acute ureteral calculus, 31 (28.2%) (19.79-36.60 at 95% Confidence Interval) has moderate hydronephrosis in the ultrasonographic imaging. The mean age of participants was 31.61±8.51 years and male to female ratio was 1.97:1. Vesicoureteric junction was the most common site for ureteric calculus 39 (35.5%).

Conclusions: The ultrasound is an easy method to be applied, and a fast one to help and diagnose obstructive hydronephrosis. The main causes of hydronephrosis are kidney stones, followed by ureteral stones, with a moderate degree of hydronephrosis.