Computerised tomography and intravenous pyelography in urinary tuberculosis: a retrospective descriptive study

To assess the radiological findings of urinary tuberculosis (TB) in patients from multiple centres to improve understanding of this disease among urologists and radiologists.

A total of 192 consecutive patients (98 males and 94 females) with urinary TB underwent computed tomography; 28 of the 192 also underwent contrast agent-enhanced intravenous pyelography of the kidney, ureter and bladder (KUB/IVP).

The most common finding was hydronephrosis, observed in 79.1% of the patients, with 81.4% of the destructive renal lesions identified in the medulla. The numbers of lesions in the dorsal medulla and the lower pole of the renal medulla were greater than those in the ventral, middle and upper poles (P = 0.0361).

Hydronephrosis is a frequently observed radiological finding among patients with urinary TB. Most TB lesions were observed in the renal medulla, especially the dorsal and lower poles of the medulla.