Intravenous urography as a prognostic indicator in vesical carcinoma

A retrospective analysis of 1378 cases of urinary bladder tumor, showed that unilateral or bilateral ureteric obstruction seen on an intravenous urogram at presentation, was significantly associated with both decreased overall survival and tumor-free interval. A tumor shadow shown on standard projections did not correlate with survival. At 24 months only 35% of the ureteric obstruction group were tumor-free as compared with 65% of the unobstructed group. Survival at 5 years was 27% in the obstructed ureter group and 73% in the non-obstructed group. This difference although less marked, persists at 9-year follow-up.