Abstract
Purpose: We investigated whether the white blood cell (WBC) count to hemoglobin (Hgb) level ratio is correlated with the presence of cortical defects on dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal scan in children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods: We examined 95 children who were consecutively admitted to our hospital with their first episode of febrile UTI. Blood tests (C-reactive protein [CRP], WBC, Hgb] were performed. All enrolled children underwent DMSA scanning during admission. Data were compared between children with positive and negative DMSA results. The correlations between WBC to Hgb ratio and the presence of cortical defects on DMSA scan, and between WBC to Hgb ratio and CRP level were analyzed using the Pearson chi-squared test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether WBC to Hgb ratio could predict the cortical defects on DMSA scan in children with febrile UTI. Results: The WBC to Hgb ratio was significantly higher in children with positive DMSA results than in those with negative DMSA results; positively correlated with the presence of cortical defects on DMSA scan and CRP; and was a significant factor for predicting the presence of cortical defects on DMSA scan. Conclusion: The WBC to Hgb ratio may predict the presence of cortical defects on acute DMSA scans in children with febrile UTI.
