[Ultrasonic study in the diagnosis of developmental defects and diseases of the urinary system in children].

Echography has recently become one of the leading methods of examination in different branches of medicine. Despite its high informativeness, however, it is not used widely in pediatrics. The article generalizes the practical experience accumulated in ultrasonic examination of urinary organs in children with developmental anomalies and diseases of the kidneys, ureters, urolithiasis, and Wilms' tumor. Besides, the possibility of echography as a screening test in outpatient examination of children with changed values of urinalysis is shown for the first time in pediatric practice. The authors describe the advantages of the method in combined developmental anomalies and regular medical examination of patients after various methods of treatment. They emphasize its merits (absolute safety, no injurious effect, high informativeness, the possibility of performing it in children who are in a grave condition, its extensive use under outpatient conditions, etc.). It is shown the ultrasonic examination in outpatient clinics makes it possible to divert from the traditional plan of radiourological examination of children, which includes excretory urography performed in children in inpatient clinics as a rule. It is obvious that the use of echography as a diagnostic test will make it possible to exclude the radiation load which is most harmful for the growing and developing organism and will not require mass hospitalization, which will undoubtedly have a high therapeutic and economical effect.