[The limits of conventional imagery in urology: the prostate and the kidney]

Despite the progress in conventional medical imaging it retains certain limitations particularly in two areas: 1) the detection of prostatic cancer: the specificity and sensitivity of transrectal ultrasonography are too poor to justify the use of this modality for screening or for diagnosis. 2) Small renal tumours, which are detected increasingly frequently on ultrasound examinations. Computed tomography is the most reliable examination for determining the benign or malignant nature of the lesion. The other modalities are disappointing and an excessive repetition of medical imaging should be avoided.