Superb microvascular imaging for the detection of parenchymal perfusion in normal and undescended testes in young children

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To compare the detectability of perfusion difference between normal and undescended testes (UDT) in young children using conventional Power Doppler Imaging (PDI) and Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI). METHODS: We prospectively performed testicular ultrasonography including PDI and SMI for the evaluation of microvascular flow in young children. Microvascular flow was categorized into four grades (grade 0-4). Statistical analysis was performed to compare the differences between undescended and normal testes. RESULTS: We imaged 40 testes from 20 boys (age, 2-29 months). Testes sizes and volumes were similar between the 29 normal and 11 UDT. PDI demonstrated low grade flow in most normal (19/29) and UDT (11/11) without difference (P=0.130). However, SMI detected differences in flow grades between normal and UDT (P<0.001). In univariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], 0.829; P=0.012) and low grade flow on SMI (OR of grade 0, 51.886 with P<0.001 and OR of grade 1, 14.29 with P=0.017) were associated with UDT. These parameters were also significant in multivariate analysis with larger area under the curve, compared with the results using PDI (0.892 vs. 0.726, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: SMI can detect perfusion difference between normal and UDT in young children better than PDI.