Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Author Spotlight: Developing a Bedside Protocol for Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasonography
Published on: June 21, 2024
Point-of-Care Ultrasound of the Urinary Tract
Paula Roy-Burman1, Kang Zhang2, Nicholas Smallwood3
1Department of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, Box 331, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Abstract:
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) provides immediate and useful information that aids clinical decision making at the bedside. The purpose of this article is to describe how POCUS can be integrated in the evaluation of the urinary system. In the first section, the authors aim to describe image acquisition and typical sonoanatomy of the kidney and bladder. The rest of the article focuses on three common scenarios where POCUS can be integrated into clinical practice: hydronephrosis, nephrolithiasis, and bladder distension. The authors include evidence from the literature and describe commonly encountered pitfalls.
Related Concept Videos
Ultrasonography
During an ultrasonography procedure, a handheld device called...
Ultrasound I: Abdominal Ultrasonography
Abdominal ultrasonography, commonly known as abdominal ultrasound, is a vital, non-invasive medical imaging technique widely used in healthcare.
Procedure:
This diagnostic tool allows the clinician to visually inspect internal structures within the abdomen, including vital organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen.
The abdominal ultrasound process begins with applying a special gel to the patient's skin over the abdomen. This gel enhances the...
Urinary Bladder
In males, the bladder is situated in front of the rectum, while in females, it is positioned anterior to the vagina and uterus. The bladder floor contains an inverted triangular area called the trigone, defined by the two ureteric...

