2023 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 102-106
Ultrasound elastography is a noninvasive method for evaluating tissue elasticity. The application of this technique has expanded to the kidneys. While kidney biopsy is the gold standard method used for assessing disease activity in kidney diseases, the technique is highly invasive. Hence, less invasive evaluating methods are required. In this study, we compared the acute phase and convalescent phase of post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSAGN) by shear wave velocity (SWV) to examine whether disease stage and SWV are related. We compared two cases of PSAGN (two boys aged 4 and 6 years) admitted to our hospital due to PSAGN-associated kidney function impairment. We observed that the acute phase SWV values measured during hospitalization were significantly higher than those measured during convalescence (after discharge from the hospital when the urinary findings improved). It is speculated that the fluctuations in SWV values observed in this study can be attributed to kidney hemodynamics and inflammation occurring in the disease’s acute phase. Although further large sample studies are necessary in the future, our results indicate that elastography may enable noninvasive evaluation of the activity of acute glomerulonephritis.
