Augmentation and replacement cystoplasty: sonographic findings

Sonographic evaluation of the urinary tract after bladder augmentation and replacement procedures often reveals unexpected findings that result from incorporation of bowel into the urinary bladder wall. Familiarity with such findings is important to avoid misinterpreting them as abnormalities. The authors reviewed the sonograms of 47 patients. The most common findings were thick or irregularly shaped bladder walls (96%), pseudomasses within the bladder lumen (89%), and fine debris or linear strands (47%). Pseudomasses were potentially the most confusing; they are usually attributable to normal bowel folds, intraluminal mucus collections, or segments of bowel that have been intussuscepted into the bladder to prevent reflux.