The value of ultrasound monitoring in the diagnosis of urological complications of the upper urinary tract in spinal cord injury

Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) is one of the manifestations of spinal cord injury and myelopathy resulting from it. The primary goal of subsequent urologic follow-up of a patient with NLUTD is to prevent complications from the upper urinary tract. Indeed, such threatening upper urinary tract complications as uroinfection, urolithiasis and hydronephrotic transformation, as well as chronic kidney disease are quite common. The prevalence of these complications and current understanding of their significant impact on the patient's quality of life and course of disability explains the purpose of the present work as determining the optimal periodicity of ultrasound kidney imaging in patients with traumatic spinal cord disease (TSCD). The cohort study revealed that the appearance of pathological chronic kidney changes in patientsundergoing regular rehabilitation treatment should be expected after an average of 96 (56; 163) months of follow-up. The most frequently reported statistically significant upper urinary tract changes were renal cysts (from baseline 8.86 to 16.46%; P=0.009), renal parenchyma thinning (from 1.27 to 7.60%; P