Ultrasound analysis of different forms of hemolytic uremic syndrome in children.

Background: Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the most common cause of acute kidney injury in children. It is mainly caused by Shiga toxin-producing enterohemorrhagic Materials and methods: Clinical, laboratory, and US data from the digital patient records of children admitted as inpatients with a diagnosis of HUS were recruited for a monocentric, retrospective analysis. STEC-HUS and cHUS were diagnosed when, in addition to the laboratory constellation, EHEC infection and complement system activation were verified, respectively. US examinations were performed by pediatricians with certified pediatric US experience. Results: In total, 30 children with STEC-HUS (13/25 male; median age of disease onset 2.9 years; most prevalent EHEC serotype was O157) and cHUS (2/5 male; median age of disease onset 5.4 years; 3/5 with proven pathogenic variation) were included. Renal replacement therapy proportions were comparable in the STEC-HUS and cHUS patients (64% vs. 60%). The resistance index (RI) was elevated at disease onset in the patients with STEC-HUS and cHUS (0.88 ± 0.10 vs. 0.77 ± 0.04, Conclusion: The US parameters of RI and total kidney size are valuable for the assessment of HUS at disease onset and during therapy, and may be helpful in the assessment of whether dialysis is required in patients with STEC-HUS.