{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T21:24:24Z","timestamp":1790198664932,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,29]],"date-time":"2025-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751155200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate contrast-enhanced urosonography (CE-VUS) as an alternative to radiographic retrograde cystourethrography (RCUG) in the detection of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in young dogs. A total of 62 dogs, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 12 months, and 124 ureterorenal units (UUs) were investigated for VUR using RCUG and CE-VUS. After a baseline gray-scale ultrasound (US) of the urinary tract, a second-generation ultrasound contrast agent (UCA), diluted in a bottle of normal saline, was instilled into the urinary bladder via a catheter and CE-VUS was performed. VUR was detected when microbubbles were observed in the ureter and\/or in the renal pelvis. In addition, RCUG was performed on the same day. The findings obtained by CE-VUS and RCUG were concordant in 117\/124 UUs (94.35%). No reflux was detected in 101\/124 UUs (81.45%) using both methods. With RCUG as the standard of reference, the sensitivity of CE-VUS was 94.12%, and the specificity was 94.39%. The positive predictive value was 72.73%, and the negative predictive value was 99.02%. CE-VUS is highly sensitive for the detection of VUR in young dogs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15131918","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T05:00:37Z","timestamp":1751259637000},"page":"1918","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A Comparison of Contrast-Enhanced Voiding Urosonography (CE-VUS) and Contrast Retrograde Cystourethrography (RCUG) for the Detection of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Young Dogs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5749-5345","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgia","family":"Trikoupi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paraskevi","family":"Papadopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katerina K.","family":"Adamama-Moraitou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Companion Animal Clinic, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Eleni","family":"Filippitzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Animal Health Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5459-6845","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Savvas","family":"Deftereos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christos","family":"Koutinas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Companion Animal Clinic, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michail","family":"Patsikas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Frederica","family":"Papadopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Ultrasound Center, 54624 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"534","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eururo.2012.05.059","article-title":"EAU Guidelines on Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children","volume":"62","author":"Riedmiller","year":"2012","journal-title":"Eur. 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