Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40634652›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2026

Imaging of Medical Patients with Acute Kidney Injury: Patterns of Ultrasound Use and the Role of Point-of-care Ultrasound at a Tertiary Care Center.

Mathilde Gaudreau-Simard, Sydney Ruller, Melissa Dann, Michael Y Woo, Ranjeeta Mallick, Matthew D F Mcinnes, Edward G Clark, Jessica Evans

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mathilde Gaudreau-SimardDivision of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, 1053 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, Canada. magaudreau@toh.ca.ORCID 0000-0001-5084-4162
Sydney RullerClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Melissa DannDepartment of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Michael Y WooClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Ranjeeta MallickOttawa Methods Center, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Matthew D F McinnesClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Edward G ClarkClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Jessica EvansDivision of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, 1053 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe etiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) can be divided into pre-renal, renal, and post-renal causes. Ultrasound is the test of choice to identify post-renal AKI. While ultrasound is routinely used in the assessment of AKI, obstructive AKI is rare, leading to concerns of potential test overutilization.

objectiveOur primary aim is to describe patterns of use of imaging in patients admitted to hospital with AKI and to determine whether imaging patterns reflect risk of obstruction. Our secondary aim is to identify the role of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) when assessing patients with AKI.

designThis is a retrospective cohort study.

participantsPatients admitted to internal medicine with AKI over a 12-month period at a large tertiary care academic center. MAIN MEASURES: Our outcome variables were radiology-performed ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), presence or absence of hydronephrosis and urological intervention. KEY

resultsThe proportion of patients with imaging was highest among those with a high-risk score and lowest in patients with a low-risk score (66.0% versus 52.2%). For radiology ultrasound specifically, the rate was 19.5% in low-risk patients and 17.7% in high-risk patients. The prevalence of hydronephrosis among patients at low, moderate and high risk for hydronephrosis was 7.1%, 8.5% and 19.7%, respectively and the rate of urological intervention was 1.4%, 1.2% and 3.8%, respectively. In moderate to high-risk patients, POCUS had a sensitivity of 86.7% and specificity of 90.0% for the identification of hydronephrosis.

conclusionsIn our cohort, nearly 20% of radiology ultrasounds are ordered in patients with a low risk of obstructive uropathy, despite low rates of hydronephrosis and hydronephrosis requiring intervention in this group. With a sensitivity of 86.7% and specificity of 90.0% in patients at moderate to high risk of obstruction, POCUS may support clinical decision making in patients with AKI.

Indexed as

Acute Kidney InjuryPoint-of-Care SystemsAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansHydronephrosisMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersTomography, X-Ray ComputedUltrasonographyacute kidney injuryPOCUSultrasound

Identifiers

PMID40634652
PMCPMC12855657

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.