Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
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.
Objective:
In this article, we will discuss the current status of imaging in patients with hematuria of urologic origin. Issues impacting evaluation of these patients with radiography, excretory urography, retrograde pyelography, and sonography will be discussed.
Conclusion:
Conventional radiography has no role in the detection of renal or urothelial carcinoma. Low-dose CT offers much greater sensitivities for the detection of urinary tract calculi than radiography at doses equivalent to conventional radiography. Ultrasound alone is insufficient for imaging of hematuria. Using ultrasound alone, it is often difficult to differentiate renal transitional cell carcinoma from other causes of filling defects of the renal collecting system such as blood clots, sloughed papillae, or fungus balls. The prominence of the role of excretory urography in the evaluation of patients with hematuria has diminished, and MDCT urography is now preferred to excretory urography in most cases.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies II: Ultrasonography
Imaging Studies V: Intravenous Urography and Retrograde Pyelography
Imaging Studies VII: Vascular Imaging
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Imaging Studies IV: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Imaging Studies I: Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder Studies

