Evaluation of acute renal colic: a comparison of non-contrast CT versus 3-T non-contrast HASTE MR urography.

With the introduction of a 3-T scanner, magnetic resonance urography (MRU) may be an alternative imaging modality for evaluation of acute renal colic. We performed a prospective study to compare the performance of computed tomography (CT) with half-Fourier single shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) MRU in the evaluation of patients with suspected renal colic. Patients presenting to the emergency department with acute renal colic were eligible for inclusion. Following a standard CT stone evaluation, patients underwent a non-contrast HASTE MRU study with a 3-T scanner. The presence of perinephric fluid, hydronephrosis, ureteral obstruction, and calculus was assessed. A total of 22 patients completed the study. Twenty (91 %) were diagnosed with an upper tract stone by radiographic findings. MRU detected a discrete stone in 50 % of the patients with stones detected by CT. Perinephric fluid was noted in 12 MRUs, compared to 7 CTs. Using CT as the reference standard, the combination of stone or perinephric fluid and ureteral dilation gave MRU a sensitivity of 84 %, specificity of 100 %, and accuracy of 86 % (95 % CI 0.72-1.0). HASTE MRU with a 3-T MR scanner can reliably detect the presence of upper urinary tract obstruction. Although CT imaging remains the superior modality with which to detect calculi, MRU detects a greater number of secondary signs of upper tract obstruction. For situations in which the use of ionizing radiation is undesirable, MRU is a reasonable imaging alternative.

Renal crystal deposits and histopathology in patients with cystine stones.

We have biopsied the papillae of patients who have cystine stones asking if this stone type is associated with specific tissue changes. We studied seven cystine stone formers (SF) treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy using digital video imaging of renal papillae for mapping and obtained papillary biopsies. Biopsies were analyzed by routine light and electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and micro-CT. Many ducts of Bellini (BD) had an enlarged ostium, and all such were plugged with cystine crystals, and had injured or absent lining cells with a surrounding interstitium that was inflamed to fibrotic. Crystal plugs often projected into the urinary space. Many inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCD) were dilated with or without crystal plugging. Apatite crystals were identified in the lumens of loops of Henle and IMCD. Abundance of interstitial Randall's plaque was equivalent in amount to that of non-SF. In the cortex, glomerular obsolescence and interstitial fibrosis exceeded normal. Cystine crystallizes in BD with the probable result of cell injury, interstitial reaction, nephron obstruction, and with the potential of inducing cortical change and loss of IMCD tubular fluid pH regulation, resulting in apatite formation. The pattern of IMCD dilation, and loss of medullary structures is most compatible with such obstruction, either from BD lumen plugs or urinary tract obstruction from stones themselves.

Transrectal ultrasound and biopsy in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Historically, the prostate was evaluated for cancer by simple digital rectal examination, and biopsy to obtain a tissue diagnosis of cancer was performed blindly. The advent of ultrasound technology offered a new way to evaluate the prostate, and biopsy techniques were soon developed to incorporate ultrasound guidance. METHODS: The authors review the role of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) of the prostate and ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. These techniques are traced from their origins to the current standards of care, with attention paid to developments and controversies in recent literature. RESULTS: Early experience with TRUS led to the description of "classic" sonographic findings of prostate cancer. To obtain a tissue diagnosis of cancer, these regions were initially targeted in ultrasound-guided biopsies. Concomitant with the development of TRUS, though, was the development of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay. Over the past decade, there has been a profound stage migration due to earlier detection of prostate cancer. Most patients now diagnosed with prostate cancer have no palpable abnormality or specific sonographic findings. In response, ultrasound-guided biopsies have become more systematic, rather than lesion-specific, in nature. CONCLUSIONS: TRUS continues to play an important role in the evaluation of the prostate when malignancy is suspected. Although the optimal method of prostate biopsy is controversial, ultrasound is critical in ensuring accurate sampling of the gland.