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Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the twinkling artifact of Doppler ultrasound in predicting urinary tract calculi by taking a CT scan as the gold standard in the patients presenting to the radiology department at Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar.
METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Radiology Department of Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar in the duration of 22nd April 2021 to 22nd October 2021A total of 206 suspected of having urinary tract calculi were included in the study consecutively and subjected to Doppler ultrasound followed by CT KUB.
RESULTSThe mean age of the sample was 42.3 + 9.1 years. 67% of the sample was male, and 33% were female. The mean duration of symptoms in our group of samples was 4.1 + 1.3 weeks. On twinkling artifacts with Doppler US, urinary tract calculi were observed in 53.4% of patients. In contrast, on follow-up CT KUB scans, urinary tract calculi were recorded in 73.3% of patients. The sensitivity of twinkling artifacts with Doppler US was found to be 71.5%, and the specificity was found to be 96.4%. The positive predictive value of the twinkling artifacts with Doppler US is 98.2%, and the negative predictive value is 55.2%.
CONCLUSION
Twinkling artifact on Doppler US has an acceptable sensitivity and specificity for detecting urinary tract calculi. As such, it is a useful radiological tool for diagnosing urinary tract stones in adults, and further studies are recommended to confirm its usefulness, particularly considering other explanatory effect modifiers.