Pediatric Renal Health Screening Using Imaging Modalities in Low-Resource Settings

Abstract

Renal diseases in children can be an important cause of childhood morbidity, and chronic renal problems, especially in low-resource countries where treatment intervention is not always timely. The imaging modalities are also of utmost importance to the screening, diagnosis, and follow-up of renal abnormalities in children. This paper is a review and synthesis of ways in which various levels of imaging: mostly ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used in health screening of renal conditions in resource constrained health systems. Ultrasonography is the preferred modality because of its safety and cost-effectiveness and non-invasiveness, as compared to CT and MRI which are used in complicated or inconclusive cases due to its expensive nature and low availability. Some of the challenges that have been mentioned in the study include insufficient training of radiologists, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate diagnosis, and financial constraints that curtail optimal use of imaging services. In spite of these shortcomings, imaging is required to detect early congenital anomalies, obstructive uropathies, infections and renal developmental abnormalities in children. Enhancing imaging capacity and combining low-cost screening guidelines can greatly enhance the outcomes of pediatric kidney care in low-resource settings.