A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) found modifications of the screening criteria are needed for diagnosing patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) because individuals with a milder form of the disease may be misdiagnosed. The current screening criteria is expensive and detects the disease in only 41 - 63 percent of cases.
 
Researchers designed new ultrasound criteria that could accurately detect the disease in individuals. They determined that in families with a history of ADPKD, the presence of three or more kidney cysts is sufficient for establishing the diagnosis in individuals aged 15 to 39 years of age, two or more cysts in each kidney is sufficient for individuals aged 40 to 59 years and four or more cysts in each kidney is required for subjects older than 60. Also, fewer than two kidney cysts in at-risk individuals aged older than 40 is sufficient to exclude the disease. For at-risk individuals aged 30 to 39 years, the absence of any kidney cysts provides almost certainty that the disease is not present.

This article originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of Renal Flash.