Radiographic studies for women with recurrent urinary tract infections

Recent reports have suggested that roentgenographic examination of the urinary tract has little importance in the management of women with recurrent urinary tract infections. We evaluated 78 women with recurrent urinary tract infection with excretory urograms and voiding cystourethrograms. Of the 78 women 5 (6 per cent) had major structural urologic abnormalities requiring further therapy. All women with major abnormalities had risk factors. These risk factors included childhood urinary tract infection, elevated serum creatinine, documented fever more than 38(5), relapsing infection, a history of urinary calculi, infection with a urea-splitting organism. neurologic bladder dysfunction, a history of genitourinary surgery and asymptomatic bacteriuria. We believe that roentgenographic evaluation of the urinary tract is of benefit in selected women with recurrent urinary tract infections.