[Value and justification of urine dip-sticks in the diagnosis of postoperative urinary infections in urology].

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of urine dip-sticks for postoperative urinary tract infections.

Material And Methods: A prospective study was performed on 165 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, open prostatectomy for BPH or transurethral resection of the prostate or bladder. Postoperative bacteriuria was investigated by using Multistix urine dip-sticks and was verified by urine culture. The presence of nitrites was the only parameter of the dip-stick taken into account.

Results: The overall infection rate was 9.7% (range: 7.3% to 16%). The dip-stick showed extremely poor sensitivity and specificity of 36.3% and 57.8%, respectively (p = 0.03). The main bacterial species isolated were: Escherichia coli (63%) and Enterococcus faecalis (27%).

Conclusion: The lack of diagnostic reliability of urine dip-sticks no longer justifies the use of these tests for the diagnosis of postoperative infection. Urine culture, with documented efficacy, remains the reference examination.