Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Renal ultrasonography (ultrasound of the kidneys) – as a basic diagnostic test; this may reveal a widened, echo-poor parenchymal border; if necessary, detection of complicating factors such as urinary stones, urinary retention, abscess formation (formation of a pus cavity), residual urine formation. However, only in circa 50% of all acute pyelonephritis (inflammation of the renal pelvis) a pathological sonogram is found.In infants, the increase in renal volume (> 2 SD) is an indication of probable pyelonephritis (inflammation of the renal pelvis).
- X-ray abdomen overview – to exclude concomitant diseases.
- I.v. pyelogram – to exclude urinary outflow obstruction.
- Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen (abdominal CT) – if abscess formation (formation of a pus cavity) is suspected.
- Micturition cysto-urethrography (MCU) – to exclude or detect vesicoureteral reflux (VUR; unphysiological reflux of urine from the bladder via the ureters (ureters) into the renal pelvis).
