Low-dose unenhanced computed tomography for diagnosing stone disease in obese patients.

Objective: To evaluate the detectability, size, location and density of urinary stones with unenhanced computed tomography (CT), using the half-radiation (low) dose (LDCT) technique, compared with the standard-dose CT (SDCT), in obese patients.

Patients And Methods: The study included 50 patients with a body mass index of >30 kg/m(2) and bilateral renal stones diagnosed with SDCT, and managed on one side. All the patients had LDCT during the follow-up and SDCT was used as a reference for comparison.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in follow-up of superficial urinary bladder carcinoma after transurethral resection: initial experience.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI is a non-invasive technique measuring the microscopic mobility of water molecules in the tissues without contrast administration. It provides information on perfusion and diffusion simultaneously in any organ, so it can be used to differentiate normal and abnormal tissue structure, and it might help in the characterization of various abnormalities. In recent years, DW-MRI has been applied in the evaluation of urinary tract lesions, such as malignant renal, prostatic and bladder tumours; however, it has not previously been tested on its ability to distinguish residual cancer from fibrotic and inflammatory changes secondary to transurethral resection (TUR) and intravesical chemotherapy, both of which manifest as bladder-wall thickening on T2-weighted MRI.

Radiological diagnosis of vesicouterine fistula: role of magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To retrospectively assess the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of vesicouterine fistula (VUF).

Materials And Methods: Between January 2003 and January 2011, 12 patients with a diagnosis of VUF were surgically managed at our center; among them, eight patients had MRI among their preoperative radiological investigations and those were included in our study. The clinical presentation, radiological investigations, and surgical findings of the patients were reviewed.

Multidetector computed tomography: role in determination of urinary stones composition and disintegration with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy--an in vitro study.

Objectives: To evaluate the ability of noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) to predict stone composition and fragility for treatment with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL).

Methods: A total of 103 stones from patients who had undergone different open surgical procedures were scanned with a 64 detector row helical computed tomography (CT) scanner using 1-mm collimation at 2 energy levels of 80 and 120 kV. The chemical compositions of the urinary stones were assessed on the basis of the differences in the densities measured in Hounsfield units (HU).

Bladder cancer: diagnosis with diffusion-weighted MR imaging in patients with gross hematuria.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the detection of bladder neoplasms in patients with gross hematuria of lower urinary tract origin.

Materials And Methods: The study protocol received institutional ethical committee approval, and informed consent was obtained. Between April 2007 and March 2008, 130 consecutive patients with gross hematuria whose upper urinary tract had a normal appearance at ultrasonographic examination were prospectively enrolled.

Bladder tumour staging: comparison of diffusion- and T2-weighted MR imaging.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI in detection and staging of urinary bladder tumour and to compare DW MRI with the T(2)-weighted technique. One hundred and six patients with bladder tumour were prospectively included in our study. All patients were evaluated with MR imaging.

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in diagnosis of superficial and invasive urinary bladder carcinoma: a preliminary prospective study.

We conducted a prospective study to demonstrate the feasibility of using diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of urinary bladder carcinomas. Between January to June 2007, 43 patients with single bladder tumor were included in our study. Before taking a biopsy, DW MRI was obtained in the axial plane under free breathing scanning with a multisection, spin-echo type, single-shot echo planar sequence with a body coil.