Imaging of hematuria

Owen J O'Connor1, Edward Fitzgerald, Michael M Maher

  • 1Department of Radiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Insights

Conventional radiography is not recommended for detecting urinary tract cancers. Low-dose CT is more sensitive for kidney stones than radiography, and multi-detector CT urography is now preferred over excretory urography for evaluating hematuria.

Area of Science:

  • Urologic imaging
  • Diagnostic radiology

Background:

  • Hematuria evaluation requires accurate imaging.
  • Traditional methods have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current status of imaging modalities for hematuria of urologic origin.
  • To discuss the impact of various imaging techniques on patient evaluation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of radiography, excretory urography, retrograde pyelography, and sonography.
  • Discussion of diagnostic capabilities and limitations.

Main Results:

  • Conventional radiography is ineffective for detecting renal or urothelial carcinoma.
  • Low-dose CT demonstrates higher sensitivity for urinary tract calculi compared to radiography.
  • Ultrasound alone is insufficient for comprehensive hematuria imaging, struggling to differentiate transitional cell carcinoma from other filling defects.

Conclusions:

  • Multi-detector CT (MDCT) urography is now the preferred imaging modality over excretory urography for hematuria evaluation.
  • Radiography has no role in detecting urothelial or renal cell carcinoma.
  • Ultrasound has limitations in differentiating specific pathologies within the renal collecting system.
Abstract

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