[The history of roentgen diagnosis in urology]

W. C. Röntgen first published the discovery of x-rays on December 28th, 1895. The extraordinary significance for diagnostics was immediately recognized all over the world. Already as early as January 16th, 1896, pictures produced in Vienna were reported in the "Wiener klinische Wochenschrift". The urological x-ray diagnostics attempted at first the visualization of kidney- and bladderstones. First successful results were demonstrated already in the summer of 1896 by D'Arsonval in Paris, by McIntyre in Glasgow and by A. v. Frisch in Vienna in 1897. The endeavors to demonstrate the collecting system by filling with a contrast medium began in 1905, the intravenous pyelography in 1923. However, it took a long time for finding contrast media of acceptable toxic levels. The arteriography as envisaged in the beginning could be realized in 1929 but first gained its practical application during the middle of this century. Air as contrast medium--as for instance in the pneumoperitoneum--as well as lymphography lost their usefulness with the emergence of the computertomography since 1973.