[Long-term follow-up after spontaneous contrast extravasation during infusion urograms (author's transl)]

In 1978 we described 18 patients with acute spontaneous rupture of a pelvi-calycine system; these have now been followed up with the exception of four patients. The aim was to determine whether, and how frequently, long-term complications occur, such as chronic persistent rupture and particularly whether local retroperitoneal fibrosis develops. The clinical history, infusion urograms and cinematography provided no evidence of any abnormalities except in one case. In this patient changes interpreted as retroperitoneal fibrosis were found, but this was the only patient in whom surgery had been performed. It is thought that the operation played a significant part in the development of this complication. Our observations confirm that infusion urograms in acute urinary tract obstruction are an acceptable method of investigation and that extravasation should be treated conservatively. The exception to this rule is the presence of preexisting infection of the urinary tract.