Leukocyte Esterase Test Research Articles

Short communication: Efficacy of a second intrauterine cephapirin infusion for the treatment of purulent vaginal discharge and endometritis in postpartum dairy cows

The objective of this study was to quantify the efficacy of a second intrauterine cephapirin treatment administered 14 d after the initial one on subsequent reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows affected by purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) or endometritis (ENDO). In total, 4,140 Holstein cows from 30 commercial herds were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. At 36 (±7) d in milk, cows were examined using the Metricheck device to diagnose PVD. An endometrial cytology sample was also collected from each cow to perform a leukocyte esterase test for diagnosing ENDO. Diagnosis of PVD and ENDO was done cow-side. Cows diagnosed with PVD or ENDO were assigned to receive 1 of 2 treatments: (1) a single intrauterine cephapirin infusion (500 mg of cephapirin benzathin; Metricure, Merck Animal Health, Kirkland, QC, Canada) at the time of initial examination or (2) a single intrauterine infusion at the time of initial examination and a second one 14 d later. Subsequent reproductive and culling events were collected until 200 d in milk. Statistical analyses were performed using univariable and multivariable mixed logistic regression models. In cows affected by PVD, a second intrauterine cephapirin infusion increased the pregnancy risk at first insemination in comparison with cows that only received one treatment (28.0 vs. 38.8%). In cows affected by ENDO, a second treatment also increased the pregnancy risk at first insemination compared with cows that only received one treatment (30.3 vs. 39.2%). Overall, these results demonstrate that administering a second intrauterine cephapirin infusion 14 d after the initial treatment in postpartum cows affected by PVD or ENDO did improve their subsequent reproductive performance.

Evaluation of rapid screening methods in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection

Introduction: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infection encountered in clinical practice. Even though urine culture is considered as the gold standard in detection of bacteriuria, many alternative screening methods like urine microscopy, chemical analysis using dipstick method and Gram’s staining have been evaluated which are more economical and rapid. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate various screening methods in the rapid diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections. Objectives: To evaluate Gram staining of urine, leucocyte esterase and nitrite dipstick test methods in the rapid diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections. Materials and Methods: All urine samples received at Microbiology laboratory, McGann hospital, attached to Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences, during study period was subjected to Gram staining, leucocyte esterase and nitrite dip stick test along with culture. Results of these tests were compared to culture results. Sensitivity and specificity of the tests was determined taking culture as standard. Results: A total of 560 urine samples were processed. Culture showed significant bacteriuria in 210 cases. The sensitivity of urine microscopy was 70.9%, leucocyte esterase test was 98% and nitrite test was 74.8%. Whereas the specificity of urine microscopy was 70%, leucocyte esterase test was 79.1% and nitrite test was 98.8%. Similarly, the sensitivity of combined leucocyte esterase and nitrite tests was 90.9% and specifity was 97.4%. Sensitivity and specificity of all the three screening tests combined were 95.7% and 94.8% respectively. Conclusion: Screening tests such as, Urine microscopy by Gram’s staining, Leucocyte esterase and nitrite dipstick test in combination can be used routinely to exclude bacteriuria. Urine culture can be employed only in the screening tests positive cases and in symptomatic cases irrespective of test results, thereby making diagnosis of UTI cost effective and rapid. Keywords: Bact

Febrile young infants with abnormal urine dipstick at low risk of invasive bacterial infection

ObjectivesTo develop and validate a prediction rule to identify well-appearing febrile infants aged ≤90 days with an abnormal urine dipstick at low risk of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs, bacteraemia or...

Efficacy of a second intrauterine cephapirin infusion in dairy cows for the treatment of purulent vaginal discharge and endometritis

Purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) diagnosed using a metricheck device and endometritis (ENDO) diagnosed using a leukocyte esterase test are associated with detrimental impact of subsequent reproductive performance of dairy cows. The efficacy of intrauterine cephapirin for treating PVD and ENDO was shown by multiple studies. All these studies validated the efficacy of 1 intrauterine cephapirin infusion given at the time of diagnosis to treat PVD and ENDO (in comparison with no treatment). Therefore, it remains unclear if cows would benefit from a second intrauterine cephapirin infusion 2 weeks after the initial treatment. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of a second intrauterine infusion of cephapirin on the subsequent reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows affected by PVD and ENDO.

Predicting Sexually Transmitted Infections Among HIV+ Adolescents and Young Adults: A Novel Risk Score to Augment Syndromic Management in Eswatini.

Despite poor predictive power, syndromic screening is standard of care for diagnosing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in low-resource, high HIV-burden settings. Predictive models may augment syndromic screening when diagnostic testing is not universally available for screening high-risk patient populations such as adolescents and young adults living with HIV. Four hundred fifteen adolescents and young adults living with HIV, age 15-24 years, participated from 3 clinical sites in Eswatini, provided urine, sexual and medical history, and completed physical examination. STI cases were defined by a positive Xpert result for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, or Trichomonas vaginalis. Features predictive of an STI were selected through Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) with 5-fold cross validation. Various model strategies were compared with parametric area under the Receiver Operator Curve (AUC) estimation and inferences were made with bootstrapped standard errors. Syndromic screening poorly predicted STIs [AUC 0.640 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.577 to 0.703]. A model considering 5 predictors (age group, sex, any sexual activity, not always using condoms (either self or partner), a partner who was 25 years or older, and horizontal or unknown mode of HIV acquisition) predicted STIs better than syndromic screening [AUC: 0.829 (95% CI: 0.774 to 0.885)] and was improved when the risk score was supplemented with leukocyte esterase (LE) testing [AUC: 0.883 (95% CI: 0.806 to 0.961)]. This simple predictive model, with or without leukocyte esterase testing, could improve STI diagnosis in HIV-positive adolescents and young adults in high burden settings through complementary use with syndromic screening and to guide patient selection for molecular STI diagnostic tests.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Peptides at the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Children

Aim of study was evaluation of urine levels of HD5 and HNP 1–3 at diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. Forty-two urine samples with positive urine culture were patient group whereas 46 urine samples with negative urine culture were control group. Demographic characteristics, automated urinalysis, laboratory results were recorded. All urine samples were evaluated microscopically by a single physician. Median values of HD5 levels in urine of patient and control groups were 187.8 pg/mg and 159.1 pg/mg respectively (p = 0.291). Median value of HNP 1–3 levels in urine of patient and control groups were 8875 pg/mg and 5465 pg/mg respectively (p = 0.145). Results of ROC analysis for HD5 levels and HNP1-3 levels demonstrated that they were not good enough for diagnosis of UTI (AUC = 0.571, p = 0.291 for HD5 and AUC = 0.590, p = 0.145 for HNP1-3 levels). Both positive result for leukocyte esterase and nitrite tests had highest sensitivity (95.2%) and specificity (97.8%) for diagnosis of UTI. The most frequent complaint was dysuria (28.66%) in the patient group. Manual urine examination was found to be more successful than automated urinalysis for predicting growth of microorganism in urine culture. Escherichia coli was most frequently isolated microorganism in urine. Both positive result for leukocyte esterase and nitrit test had highest sensitivity and specificity to define UTI. Bacteriuria in manuel urine microscopy had higher sensitivity and specificity than that of automated urinalysis. Urine HD5 and HNP1-3 levels were not good to define UTI in children.

A Clinical Pilot Study to Evaluate CD64 Expression on Blood Monocytes as an Indicator of Periprosthetic Joint Infection.

The preoperative diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) depends on a series of blood biomarkers. Previous studies have shown that CD64 expression on blood neutrophils and monocytes has a good diagnostic efficacy for diagnosing systemic and local infections. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of blood CD64 in the diagnosis of PJI. On the basis of estimations made before the study was performed, 62 patients were recruited for joint revision surgery following the failure of primary hip or knee replacement. Venous blood was obtained within 24 hours after patient admission, and flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the CD64 expression of 3 groups of white blood cells (WBCs). CD64 expression was measured as CD64 mean fluorescence intensity (CD64MFI). The neutrophil CD64 index (nCD64 index; neutrophil CD64MFI [nCD64MFI]/lymphocyte CD64MFI [lCD64MFI]) and monocyte CD64 index (mCD64 index; monocyte CD64MFI [mCD64MFI]/lCD64MFI) were then calculated. The C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at admission, synovial fluid indicators, leukocyte esterase test results, intraoperative histological results, and tissue or synovial fluid culture results were recorded. According to the modified Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria, patients were divided into the PJI group and the non-PJI group. These blood indicators were then analyzed for the diagnosis of PJI. The PJI group included 18 patients, and the non-PJI group included 44 patients. The diagnostic value of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was low for lCD64MFI, the nCD64 index, and the mCD64 index. The diagnostic value for nCD64MFI was moderate, with an AUC of 0.735 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.595 to 0.874; p = 0.004). The diagnostic value for mCD64MFI was high, with an AUC of 0.898 (95% CI, 0.821 to 0.975; p < 0.001). The cutoff value for mCD64MFI was 28,968, with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 1, 0.75, 0.62, and 1, respectively. This result was confirmed by internal validation with a different antibody. Flow cytometry can be used for patient screening before revision surgery, and blood mCD64MFI is a promising indicator for PJI. Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Evaluation of Urine Dipstick For Leukocyte Esterase Test For Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection

Evaluation of Urine Dipstick For Leukocyte Esterase Test For Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection

The 2018 International Consensus Meeting Minor Criteria for Chronic Hip and Knee Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Validation From a Single Center

BackgroundRecently, a revised definition of the minor criteria scoring system for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) was developed by the second International Consensus Meeting on musculoskeletal infection. The new system combines preoperative and intraoperative findings, reportedly achieving high sensitivity and specificity. We aimed to validate the modified scoring system at a high-volume center. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent a revision total hip or knee arthroplasty at our institution from May 2015 to August 2018. Serum C-reactive protein, synovial white blood cell count and polymorphonuclear percentage, leukocyte esterase test, alpha-defensin, microbiological and histologic results, and documented existence of sinus tract and intraoperative purulence were available for all patients. Cases with at least 1 major criterion were considered as infected. Using the new minor criteria, a score of ≥6 reflects PJI, while a score <3 can be considered as noninfected. Sensitivity, specificity, mean accuracy (ACC), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were analyzed. ResultsA total of 345 cases were included. A cutoff score of ≥6 points had the following diagnostic performance: area under the curve (AUC) = 0.90; ACC = 0.88; sensitivity = 0.96; specificity = 0.84; PPV = 0.70; NPV = 0.98. Diagnostic performance was better for the hip (AUC = 0.92; ACC = 0.90; sensitivity = 0.96; specificity = 0.86; PPV = 0.81; NPV = 0.98) than the knee (AUC = 0.89; ACC = 0.85; sensitivity = 0.95; specificity = 0.83; PPV = 0.59; NPV = 0.98). ConclusionThe modified scoring system proposed by the 2018 International Consensus Meeting in diagnosing PJI showed high sensitivity and a good performance, especially as rule-out diagnostic criteria. The cutoff level seems to be different between the hip and knee. Further validation studies considering the acknowledged limitations are recommended.

A positive nitrite test was an independent risk factor for invasive bacterial infections in infants under 90days of age with fever without source.

This study analysed the association between a positive nitrite dipstick test and an invasive bacterial infection (IBI) in infants younger than 90days of age with fever without source (FWS). We performed a secondary analysis of data from a prospective multicentre study of infants up to 90days of age with FWS undergoing care in 19 paediatric EDs between October 2011 and September 2013. Invasive bacterial infection was defined as a positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture. The dipstick urinalysis was positive for nitrite or leucocyte esterase in 766 (22.5%) of the 3401 infants we studied, and 270 (35.2%) had a dipstick test that was just positive for nitrite. Overall, 107 were diagnosed with an IBI (3.1%). The IBI prevalence was 2.2% among patients with a normal urine dipstick, 4.4% if they had positive leucocyte esterase test results, 8.3% where the nitrite test was positive and 10.6% when both tests were positive. After multivariate analysis, a positive nitrite test remained an independent risk factor for IBI (odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.4-4.9). In infants under 90days of age with FWS, a positive nitrite urine dipstick test was an independent risk factor for IBI.

Ascitic calprotectin as a useful marker in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in adults

BackgroundAscitic fluid polymorphonuclear leucocyte count (PMN) is known to be the gold standard for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) diagnosis. The aim of this work was to assess ascitic calprotectin for SBP diagnosis. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), nitrous oxide, ascitic PMN, ascitic leucocyte esterase and ascitic calprotectin were measured.ResultsThe average age of our patients was 55.25 ± 7.89 years, mostly males (n = 51, 63.8%), anti-HCV antibodies were positive in (n = 61, 76.3%). Sixty-four patients (80%) were Child-Pugh C and their average MELD was 24.29 ± 8.06. Patients with SBP had statistically significant higher median MELD score (26.5 vs. 19) and higher average Child-Pugh score (12.18 ± 1.74 vs. 10.5 ± 1.97). Forty patients had SBP and 40 patients were without SBP. Both the serum and ascitic nitrous oxide did not differ statistically between patients with and without SBP. In contrast, patients with SBP had higher median serum CRP (49 vs. 12 mg/dL), hsCRP (58,000 vs. 23,750 ng/dL) and ascitic calprotectin (7.57 vs. 1.1 ng/mL). The ascitic leucocyte esterase test was positive in 95% of SBP patients in contrast to 2.5% patients without SBP. Ascitic calprotectin >2 ng/mL had 90% sensitivity, 92.5% specificity, 92.3% positive predictive value and 90.2% negative predictive value. MELD, CRP, hsCRP and ascitic calprotectin are independent predictors of SBP.ConclusionAscitic calprotectin is a useful marker for SBP diagnosis.

Determination of diagnostic value (validity) leukocyte esterase (urine dipstick strip) in differentiating inflammatory arthritis from bacterial arthritis

BackgroundThe current diagnostic cornerstone for septic arthritis contains gram stains, bacterial culture, and cell count with a differential of aspirated synovial fluid. Recently, a synovial leukocyte esterase (LE) test has been used for diagnosing septic arthritis. Since this test measures the esterase activity of leukocytes, there is always a dilemma for using this test in patients with inflammatory arthritis.MethodsWe collected the synovial fluid specimens as part of the general diagnostic protocol for patients suspected of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) or Septic Arthritis (SA). Each group included 34 patients. We compared the result of the synovial LE test with the result of the culture of each patient.ResultsThe mean ages of patients were 64.14 ± 31.27 and 50.88 ± 23.19 months in the JIA group and septic arthritis group, respectively. The LE test results were positive in 30 specimens, trace in 3 and negative in one in the first-time test and were positive in 31 specimens and trace in 3 in the second-time test, while it was negative in all patients with JIA. Hence, the sensitivity of the synovial LE test was 80.8%, the specificity, PPV, and NPV were 78.6, 70.0, 86.8% respectively based on a positive culture.ConclusionThe leukocyte esterase strip test can be used as a rapid, bedside method for diagnosing or excluding bacterial infections in different body fluids. The synovial LE test can be used as an accurate test to rapidly rule in or out an acute articular bacterial infection, even in patients with concurrent inflammatory arthritis.

The utility of urinary dipstick in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in children

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is frequent in children and may have significant adverse effects, especially for young children. Objective: The objective was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of pyuria, leukocyte esterase, and nitrite test in the diagnosis of UTI and whether they can be used as an alternative to the conventional culture, which is expensive and needs more time for the result to be obtained. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 143 patients were prospectively studied in Kerbela teaching hospital for children, who were suspected to have UTI and did not receive antibiotics for at least a week. Urine samples were collected using urine catheter for children who are not toilet trained and midstream urine for older children. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were measured for nitrite, leukocyte esterase, and pyuria. Results: There was a highly significant association between the positive results of urine dipstick (nitrite test and leukocyte esterase test) and microscopic (examination for pyuria) and the positive results of urine culture (P

Current Management of Urinary Tract Infection and Vesicoureteral Reflux.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined as the growth of a significant number of microorganisms of a single species in the urine, in the presence of symptoms. Symptoms in young children are non-specific such as fever without focus; young infants may manifest with irritability, failure to thrive, jaundice, vomiting and diarrhea. Older children usually have symptoms of cystitis or pyelonephritis. Symptoms of cystitis are dysuria, frequency, new onset incontinence and malodorous urine while symptoms of pyelonephritis are high grade fever, flank pain and vomiting. Rapid urine testing by microscopy for pus cells, dipstick testing for leukocyte esterase and nitrite, and enhanced urinalysis are supportive tests. Urine culture samples should be collected with proper technique and results interpreted for significant growth accordingly. Antibiotic therapy for 7-14 d for complicated UTI and 3-4d for uncomplicated UTI is adequate. Further evaluation is recommended clinically for bladder-bowel dysfunction and obvious anatomical defects and by imaging for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), usually by micturating cystourethrography (MCU). Since MCU involves exposure to radiation and urethral catheterization, it is now reserved for children with parenchymal involvement or recurrent UTI. VUR is the backward flow of urine into one or both ureters. Clinical manifestations other than UTI include incidental diagnosis on antenatal ultrasonography. Reflux nephropathy, the renal scarring associated with VUR may manifest clinically as hypertension, proteinuria and renal failure. The management of VUR is primarily with antibiotic prophylaxis. Anatomical correction is indicated in case of breakthrough febrile UTI. No intervention has been shown to reduce renal scarring.

Biomarkers that differentiate false positive urinalyses from true urinary tract infection.

The specificity of the leukocyte esterase test (87%) is suboptimal. The objective of this study was to identify more specific screening tests that could reduce the number of children who unnecessarily receive antimicrobials to treat a presumed urinary tract infection (UTI). Prospective cross-sectional study to compare inflammatory proteins in blood and urine samples collected at the time of a presumptive diagnosis of UTI. We also evaluated serum RNA expression in a subset. We enrolled 200 children; of these, 89 were later demonstrated not to have a UTI based on the results of the urine culture obtained. Urinary proteins that best discriminated between children with UTI and no UTI were involved in T cell response proliferation (IL-9, IL-2), chemoattractants (CXCL12, CXCL1, CXCL8), the cytokine/interferon pathway (IL-13, IL-2, INFγ), or involved in innate immunity (NGAL). The predictive power (as measured by the area under the curve) of a combination of four urinary markers (IL-2, IL-9, IL-8, and NGAL) was 0.94. Genes in the pathways related to inflammation were also upregulated in serum of children with UTI. Urinary proteins involved in the inflammatory response may be useful in identifying children with false positive results with current screening tests for UTI; this may reduce unnecessary treatment.

Urine Specific Gravity and the Accuracy of Urinalysis.

A recent study in young infants found that different cutoffs maximized the accuracy of the urine white blood cell count in dilute versus concentrated urine samples. We aimed to confirm this finding and to determine its impact on clinical care. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data gathered on consecutive children <24 months of age with visits to the emergency department during a 5-year period. We evaluated the accuracy of screening tests for urinary tract infection (UTI) in dilute and concentrated urine samples. We also calculated the number of children who would have been treated differently in a hypothetical cohort of 1000 children presenting with fever had urine specific gravity (SG) been taken into consideration. We included 10 078 children. The ability to rule in UTI (as measured by the positive likelihood ratio [LR]) was similar in dilute and concentrated urine for the leukocyte esterase test (11.76 vs 10.71, respectively). The positive LR for urine white blood cell count per high-powered field was higher in dilute urine (9.83 vs 6.12). In contrast, the positive LR for the nitrite test was lower in dilute urine (20.54 vs 47.44). Despite these differences, we found little change in the number of children treated with antibiotics in predictive models that took urine SG into consideration. Although we found that urine SG influences the accuracy of some components of the urinalysis, its inclusion in the decision-making process had negligible effect on the clinical care of children with UTI.

A Comparative Study on Ascetic Fluid Biochemical Markers in Cirrhotic Children with and Without Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: A Cross-Sectional Observation

Background: Cirrhotic ascites is frequently complicated with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Objectives: Here, we assessed the diagnostic validity of some inflammatory markers in children with SBP. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Ward of Namazi hospital of Shiraz. SBP was considered as ≥ 250 polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) /µL ascetic fluid (AF). Results: Out of 150 liver cirrhotic patients with ascites, 41 (27.3) were diagnosed with SBP. Mean WBC count and PMN per µL of AF were significantly higher in SBP patients than non-SBP (P < 0.0001). The highest specificity for the diagnosis of SBP was recorded for AF smear test (100). Positive AF smear and culture tests rendered the highest positive predictive values (PPV, 100 and 88.2 respectively). The highest negative predictive value (NPV) was related to AF leukocyte esterase test (94.2). The highest area under the curve (AUC) for diagnosis of SBP belonged to WBC count (0.956), total cell count (0.817), and LDH concentration (0.814) of AF. A cut off value of 290 WBC per µL AF resulted in respective 95.1 and 88.1 sensitivity and specificity. Trespass of WBC count and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of AF higher than cutoff values (290 cells/µL, and 175 (u/L), respectively) resulted in 82.9, 92.7, 81, and 93.5 sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV, respectively. Conclusions: Total cell and WBC counts of AF strongly correlated with ascetic PMN count. Ascetic LDH, alone or in combination with WBC count of AF can be used as a potential surrogate for PMN counts in diagnosis of SBP. © 2019, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics.

Current practice on the management of pre-operative urine dipstick results in women undergoing gynaecological surgery in Wales

A survey was circulated to consultant gynaecologists across Wales, to evaluate the management of pre-operative urine dipstick results. Questions were based on NICE guideline 171, regarding the management of urinary incontinence in women. Six respondents never checked their patient's urine dipstick results. Of the remaining 37 respondents, 70% always check and 30% sometimes check. Overall, 37.1% cancelled surgery when a urine dipstick was positive for either nitrite or leukocyte-esterase (LE). A significantly larger proportion cancelled surgery when symptomatic for urinary tract infection (p< 0.001), and when nitrite and LE positive compared to only LE positive (p< 0.05).This survey provides evidence that gynaecological operations are potentially being cancelled unnecessarily based on a screening test with limited sensitivity and specificity. Further research is needed into the outcomes of gynaecological surgery in women symptomatic of urinary tract infection to provide guidance on the use of pre-operative urinalysis and the management of test results.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? The strongest risk factor for postoperative urinary tract infections (UTIs) is a pre-operative recurrent UTI (Nygaard et al. 2011). This is the reason behind the urine dipstick being part of the pre-operative checklist for gynaecological surgery. Traditionally, a suspected UTI would mean postphoning surgery whilst treating the UTI. It is known that the sensitivity of the nitrite test and leukocyte-esterase test when used alone is low and cannot rule out UTI in most patients (Mambatta et al. 2015). Urine culture is therefore suggested for all patients with a suspected UTI (John et al. 2006). To our knowledge, there are no data available on whether we should be postphoning gynaecological surgery based on a urine dipstick result.What the results of this study add? Overall, 37.1% of respondents cancelled surgery when a pre-operative urine dipstick was positive for either nitrite or leukocyte-esterase. This provides evidence of variation in the practice of using the urine dipstick in women undergoing gynaecological surgery in Wales. These cancellations are potentially unnecessarily. Furthermore, 14% of respondents did not use a urine dipstick and the majority did not act on an abnormal results, implying clinicians have a low confidence in the test as a screening tool.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? We propose removing the urine dipstick as a pre-operative screening test. Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common in women and routine screening for UTI pre-operatively will therefore inevitably lead to unnecessary intervention (i.e. cancellation). Further research is needed into the outcomes of gynaecological surgery in women symptomatic of UTI to be able to provide guidance on the use of pre-operative urinalysis and management of the test results.

CORR Insights®: What Is the Diagnostic Accuracy of Alpha-Defensin and Leukocyte Esterase Test in Periprosthetic Shoulder Infection?

CORR Insights®: What Is the Diagnostic Accuracy of Alpha-Defensin and Leukocyte Esterase Test in Periprosthetic Shoulder Infection?

Analytical sensitivity of urine dipstick leukocyte esterase tests

Analytical sensitivity of urine dipstick leukocyte esterase tests