Genitourinary trauma: a pictorial essay.

Genitourinary trauma is often overlooked in the setting of acute trauma. Usually other more life-threatening injuries take precedence for immediate management. When the patient is stabilized, radiologic imaging often plays a key role in diagnosing insults to the upper and lower genitourinary tract in the setting of trauma. Our aim is to provide a pictorial assay of imaging findings in upper and lower tract genitourinary trauma from a variety of mechanisms including blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, and iatrogenic trauma. A patient archiving and communication system will be used to review imaging studies of patients at our institution with genitourinary tract trauma. Cases of renal, ureteral, bladder, urethral, penile, and scrotal trauma will be considered for inclusion in our study. Multimodality imaging techniques will be reviewed. The imaging and pertinent findings that occur in various types of genitourinary trauma are outlined. Genitourinary trauma is often missed in the frenzy of acute trauma. It is important to have a high suspicion for injury especially in severe trauma, and in particular clinical settings. Although often not life threatening, recognizing the diagnostic imaging findings quickly is the realm of the astute radiologist so appropriate urologic management can be made.

Adrenal lymphangioma: a case report.

We present a case of a 30-year-old female who was evaluated for right flank pain. Clinical and diagnostic work up revealed a urinary tract infection with focal pyelonephritis of the right kidney. Ultrasound and computed tomography of the abdomen were included in the evaluation and revealed incidental finding of cystic structure at right suprarenal space. Follow-up evaluation for further characterization of cyst was performed with MRI and displayed a 4.8x4.5-cm right adrenal cyst containing dystrophic calcification, septations, and minimal nodularity. Surgical resection and histologic findings were compatible with cystic lymphangioma of the adrenal gland. Adrenal lymphangioma is a rare and benign lesion that is most often identified incidentally during radiological investigation or at autopsy. Diagnostic features of adrenal cysts including lymphangiomas are discussed.

Genitourinary tract gas: imaging evaluation.

Gas-forming infections of the genitourinary tract may manifest as life-threatening conditions, often requiring aggressive medical and surgical management. Accurate interpretation of the radiologic studies is essential for early and accurate diagnosis of gas within the renal parenchyma or collecting system, bladder, uterus, and scrotum. Three distinct entities are associated with renal or perirenal gas: emphysematous pyelonephritis, emphysematous pyelitis, and gas-forming perirenal abscess. Gas in the bladder may occur secondary to emphysematous cystitis or a vesicoenteric fistula and must be differentiated from air introduced by means of instrumentation. Uterine gas usually indicates an underlying infection or a neoplasm. Gas in the scrotum is most commonly due to an infectious process or bowel herniation into the scrotal sac. Before institution of a specific therapeutic regimen, an effort should be made to establish the exact location of gas in the genitourinary tract. Plain radiography, including tomography, and ultrasonography are useful screening modalities. Although in some cases urography, barium enema studies, and other contrast material-enhanced studies enable a diagnosis to be made, in many patients computed tomography is the definitive diagnostic technique.

Are pelvic computed tomography, bone scan and pelvic lymphadenectomy necessary in the staging of prostatic cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and economy of pelvic computed tomography (CT), bone scan and pelvic lymphadenectomy as staging modalities in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. The use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason's score as adjuncts to predict extracapsular disease were also evaluated and their economic implications examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1990 and June 1993, 861 men were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, of whom 409 underwent surgery. All patients underwent pelvic CT scans and PSA analysis. Patients undergoing surgery had pre-operative bone scans and Gleason's scoring of their pathological tissue. RESULTS: Only 13 (1.5%) of 861 men had positive pelvic CT scans. Of the 409 patients who underwent surgery, all had negative pelvic CT and bone scans, and all underwent a modified pelvic lymphadenectomy; 192 (47%) had extracapsular disease. Only 15 (3.7%) patients who underwent surgery were found to have positive nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The use of pelvic CT and bone scans for clinical staging in patients with a PSA level of < or = 20 ng/mL should not be advocated because they have a very low yield and are not cost effective. We question the role of a modified pelvic lymphadenectomy for staging purposes, either by an open or laparoscopic procedure, because the yield of positive diagnoses is very low.

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor: MR findings.

Juxtaglomerular (JG) cell tumor is a rare benign neoplasm of the kidney that typically presents with hypertension, secondary hyperaldosteronism, hypocalcemia, and hyperreninism. We describe a case of JG cell tumor diagnosed with MRI.

Eosinophilic cystitis: CT findings.

Eosinophilic cystitis (EC) is a rare form of bladder inflammation of uncertain etiology, characterized by eosinophilic inflammation of the bladder. Presenting clinical symptoms include hematuria, dysuria, frequency, and suprapubic pain. To our knowledge, there have been only two other reports of computed tomographic (CT) scan findings of EC. In both cases, the findings were thought to represent invasive bladder cancer. We present a case report of biopsy-proven EC with previously unreported CT scan findings.

Necrotizing fasciitis and myositis: a case report.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a relatively rare, potentially life-threatening infection involving the subcutaneous tissues. We report a case of group A streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis/myositis in which CT played an important role in differential diagnosis.

CT of congenital and acquired abnormalities of the spleen.

Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent imaging modality for demonstrating the size, shape, and position of the spleen, as well as for depicting intrasplenic pathologic features. However, it has limited value in the diagnosis of splenic involvement by lymphoma. Greater accuracy in diagnosing splenic lymphoma may be obtained by demonstrating adenopathy in the splenic hilum or by showing focal splenic defects, in addition to splenomegaly. In discussing the normal anatomy of the spleen, congenital variations (eg, accessory spleen, polysplenia, asplenia, and wandering spleen), and acquired abnormalities such as those resulting from trauma, infection, infarction, cysts, and neoplasms, this article provides evidence that CT is valuable in showing a wide variety of splenic variations and abnormalities while simultaneously allowing evaluation of the remaining intraabdominal structures. The cases presented demonstrate both the value and limitations of CT in the examination of patients with congenital and acquired abnormalities of the spleen.

Color Doppler ultrasound of the genitourinary tract.

This paper discusses the role of color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) as it applies to the genitourinary tract. CDU is beneficial in evaluating both the native and allograft kidney in the diagnosis of renal arterial and venous stenosis, arteriovenous fistulas, pseudoaneurysms, arterial and venous thrombosis, and in the characterization and staging of renal masses. CDU has redefined the role of ultrasonography in the evaluation of the scrotum as it relates to testicular torsion, inflammatory disorders and varicoceles. Early results of CDU in prostate carcinoma and benign prostate hypertrophy have shown limited success. Identifying and assessing the neurovascular bundle may have an impact on the staging of prostate carcinoma. It is hoped that the future addition of ultrasound contrast agents will further establish the role of color Doppler in the diagnosis of a variety of genitourinary diseases and disorders.

Spleen Injury in Sports.

In brief People who sustain sports-related spleen injuries develop constant pain in the left flank or left upper quadrant that may worsen when they move or breathe deeply. CT is the most effective diagnostic tool, but other diagnostic imaging techniques and blood tests aid in diagnosis. Most patients can be treated nonsurgically in an intensive care or step-down unit with bed rest, intravenous therapy, and careful monitoring.

Spleen Injury in Sports.

In brief Following injury, stabilized patients who might have suffered significant trauma to the spleen require ongoing clinical assessment coupled with radiographic imaging. CT is the initial method of choice, although radionuclide scintigraphy may be indicated for pregnant patients and for those who have an iodine allergy. The roles of ultrasound, angiography, and abdominal plain film radiography are limited. Abnormalities demonstrated on contrast-enhanced CT studies include spleen laceration, subcapsular hematoma, and hemoperitoneum. Radionuclide scintigraphy will help diagnose splenosis.

Endorectal sonography in the evaluation of rectal and perirectal disease.

Endorectal sonography initially was developed for evaluation of the prostate and now has been adapted for evaluation of rectal and perirectal disease. We used endorectal sonography to evaluate a spectrum of diseases, including primary and recurrent rectal carcinoma, metastases, villous adenoma, leiomyosarcoma, endometriosis, sacrococcygeal teratoma, chordoma, retroperitoneal cystic hamartoma, pelvic lipomatosis, diverticulitis, and perirectal abscess. The technique has been useful in localization of perirectal abscesses and in sonographically guided biopsy of perirectal masses. Knowledge of normal sonographic anatomy of the rectum is essential in the evaluation of rectal and perirectal disease. In this essay, we describe the technique of endorectal sonography and illustrate the sonographic findings in a variety of diseases.

Sonography of large scrotal infections.

We have described 14 cases of large scrotal infections with diffuse involvement of testis and epididymis, thick septations within the cavity, and associated thickening of the scrotal wall and tunica albuginea. The combination of these findings should help distinguish this process from a diffuse neoplastic involvement of the testis where the scrotal wall is almost always of normal thickness. The presence of patchy inhomogenous testicular echo pattern should alert the sonologist to the presence of diffuse suppurative epididymo-orchitis, which may result in necrosis with subsequent orchiectomy in such patients.

Clinical and imaging features of rhabdoid tumor of the kidney.

Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RTK) is a rare, highly malignant neoplasm of childhood. The clinical profile of this neoplasm differs from that of Wilms' tumor. We present two cases of RTK. In both our cases, large bulky masses with poorly defined margins and calcifications were demonstrated. The clinical and imaging findings are compared with other childhood renal neoplasms.

Transrectal ultrasound appearance of granulomatous prostatitis.

Granulomatous prostatitis is an uncommon condition that can masquerade as prostatic carcinoma on both digital rectal exam and prostate ultrasound. It occurs most often after acute urinary tract infection, transurethral prostate resection, or needle biopsy. It can be seen in systemic granulomatous diseases and after intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy for bladder carcinoma. In some cases it is idiopathic. Six patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound of the prostate and subsequent transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy had histologic diagnosis of granulomatous prostatitis. One patient was undergoing BCG therapy for bladder cancer. Two patients had recent urinary tract infections. The other three patients had no known predisposing conditions. Sonographically, the glands were enlarged in five patients, with multiple large and small hypoechoic zones throughout the peripheral, transition, and central zones. The appearance was similar to that seen in diffuse prostatic carcinoma. In one patient, a solitary hypoechoic lesion in the peripheral zone, indistinguishable from carcinoma, was present. Granulomatous prostatitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal and diffuse abnormality with prostatic ultrasound.