Serum procalcitonin level for prediction of high-grade vesicoureteral reflux in urinary tract infection.

Introduction: Procalcitonin is a reliable and specific marker of bacterial infections such as urinary tract infection. Some authors suggest measurement of serum procalcitonin as a predictor of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). We investigated this association in children admitted because of acute pyelonephritis.

Materials And Methods: Forty-eight children with the first febrile urinary tract infection were included. Twelve patients had low-grade VUR, 9 patients had high-grade VUR, and 27 patients did not have any VUR in their imaging assessment.

Results: There was a significant association between high-grade VUR and higher levels of procalcitonin (P = .04). The sensitivity of a procalcitonin level of 0.31 ng/mL or greater was 90% and the specificity was 32% for diagnosis of high-grade VUR.

Conclusions: We concluded that serum procalcitonin concentration is a sensitive and promising predictor of high-grade VUR.