CT Urography for Diagnosis of Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Are Both Nephrographic and Excretory Phases Necessary?

Multiparametric MR Urography: State of the Art

MR urography (MRU) is an imaging technique that provides comprehensive evaluation of the kidneys, pelvicalyceal system, ureters, and urinary bladder. Although CT urography (CTU) remains the first-line imaging modality for the urinary tract, incremental improvements in MRU have allowed simultaneous imaging of the kidneys, collecting system, and urinary bladder with superior contrast resolution and tissue characterization, equivalent visualization of the upper tracts, and similar specificity for detection of noncalculous diseases of the collecting system compared with that of CTU. MRU has evolved into an alternative to CTU in the broader patient population and a first-line examination in specific patient populations for which CTU is less preferred. This subgroup includes pediatric patients, pregnant patients, patients needing recurring studies, and patients with poor renal function or severe allergies to iodinated contrast material. The most common techniques encompassing a conventional MRU examination include static-fluid T2-weighted imaging and gadolinium-enhanced urothelial and excretory phase imaging. The addition of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging results in multiparametric MRU that increases diagnostic accuracy. Newer techniques, such as parallel imaging, compressed sensing, radial k-space sampling, and deep learning-based image reconstruction, can shorten examination times and improve image quality and patient compliance. Successful MRU interpretation relies on technique optimization, knowledge of various urinary tract pathologic conditions, and familiarity with different sequences, potential interpretive pitfalls, and artifacts. ©RSNA, 2025 Supplemental material is available for this article.

Development and validation of a radiomics-based nomogram for predicting pathological grade of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy characterized by poor prognosis, making the accurate identification of high-grade (HG) UTUC essential for subsequent treatment strategies. This study aims to develop and validate a nomogram model using computed tomography urography (CTU) images to predict HG UTUC.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to include patients with UTUC who underwent radical nephroureterectomy and received a CTU examination prior to surgery. In the CTU images, tumor lesions located in the renal calyces, renal pelvis and ureter were segmented, and radiomics features from the unenhanced, medullary, and excretory phases were extracted. The maximum relevance minimum redundancy algorithm, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and various machine learning (ML) algorithms-including random forest, support vector machine, and eXtreme gradient boosting-were employed to select radiomics features and calculate radiomics scores. Logistic regression (LR) analysis was performed to identify the independent influencing factors of clinical baseline characteristics. Multiple datasets of radiomics features were constructed by integrating single-phase radiomics features with the most significant independent factor. Both LR and ML algorithms were utilized to develop predictive models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC values), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were assessed for model performance evaluation. Decision curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the clinical net benefits.

RESULTS

A total of 167 patients were enrolled in this study. Among them, 56 were diagnosed with low-grade UTUC (including papillary urothelial neoplasms with low malignant potential and low-grade urothelial carcinoma) as confirmed by postoperative pathological examination results, and 111 were of HG. These patients were randomly allocated to the training set and the validation set at a ratio of 7:3. The training set comprised 116 patients with a mean age of 63.5 ± 9.38 years and 38 males. The validation set comprised 51 patients with a mean age of 65.6 ± 11.1 years and 18 males. Hydronephrosis was identified as the most significant independent factor in the clinical baseline features. Models that include mixed-phase development achieve better performance compared to models that rely simply on single-phase development. The nomogram model had excellent predictive ability for HG UTUC, with AUC values of 0.844 and an accuracy of 0.793 in the validation sets. The nomogram model can enhance accuracy by 14.1% (79.3% vs. 65.2%) and sensitivity by 32.8% (93.2% vs. 60.4%) compared to urinary cytology.

CONCLUSIONS

This study developed a nomogram model, which significantly improved the diagnostic ability for HG UTUC compared to urinary cytology. Furthermore, the results of the decision curve analysis showed that the model had a net benefit and could provide a non-invasive and potentially diagnostic reference tool for HG UTUC.

Imaging of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) originates in the renal pelvis or ureters and typically affects elderly patients, with its incidence increasing over the past few decades. UTUC is a distinct clinical entity with more aggressive clinical behavior than that of lower tract urothelial carcinoma. Due to the significant challenge of acquiring an adequate tissue sample for biopsy, comprehensive risk stratification is required for treatment planning, including radical nephroureterectomy and kidney-sparing management. Imaging plays an important integrated role in risk assessment along with endoscopy and pathologic examination. Lifelong surveillance is required after treatment due to the high incidence of recurrent and metachronous tumors. Lynch syndrome is a frequently unrecognized genetic disorder associated with UTUC that warrants specific attention in patient management. UTUC may manifest with diverse imaging findings, including filling defects, wall thickening, and mass-forming lesions. CT urography is the preferred modality for diagnosis and staging or restaging of UTUC, with numerous technical variations. Efforts have been made to optimize image quality and radiation exposure. Due to its poor sensitivity for small lesions, use of MR urography is limited to special clinical scenarios (eg, when patients have contraindications to iodinated contrast agents). Fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET helps to detect metastatic lesions. Image-guided biopsy may be considered for uncertain lesions. Radiologists need to be familiar with the imaging findings and their differential diagnoses. ©RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article.

A retrospective survey to establish institutional diagnostic reference levels for CT urography examinations based on clinical indications: preliminary results

Objective. To establish institutional diagnostic reference levels (IDRLs) based on clinical indications (CIs) for three- and four-phase computed tomography urography (CTU).Methods. Volumetric computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), patients' demographics, selected CIs like lithiasis, cancer, and other diseases, and protocols' parameters were retrospectively recorded for 198 CTUs conducted on a Toshiba Aquilion Prime 80 scanner. Patients were categorised based on CIs and number of phases. These groups' 75th percentiles of CTDIvoland DLP were proposed as IDRLs. The mean, median and IDRLs were compared with previously published values.Results. For the three-phase protocol, the CTDIvol(mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm) were 22.7/992 for the whole group, 23.4/992 for lithiasis, 22.8/1037 for cancer, and 21.2/981 for other diseases. The corresponding CTDIvol(mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm) values for the four-phase protocol were 28.6/1172, 30.6/1203, 27.3/1077, and 28.7/1252, respectively. A significant difference was found in CTDIvoland DLP between the two protocols, among the phases of three-phase (except cancer) and four-phase protocols (except DLP for other diseases), and in DLP between the second and third phases (except for cancer group). The results are comparable or lower than most studies published in the last decade.Conclusions. The CT technologist must be aware of the critical dose dependence on the scan length and the applied exposure parameters for each phase, according to the patient's clinical background and the corresponding imaging anatomy, which must have been properly targeted by the competent radiologist. When clinically feasible, restricting the number of phases to three instead of four could remarkably reduce the patient's radiation dose. CI-based IDRLs will serve as a baseline for comparison with CTU practice in other hospitals and could contribute to national DRL establishment. The awareness and knowledge of dose levels during CTU will prompt optimisation strategies in CT facilities.

Is a Single Nephrographic Phase Computed Tomography Sufficient for Detecting Urothelial Carcinoma in Patients with Visible Haematuria? A Prospective Paired Noninferiority Comparison

Background

There is uncertainty about the utility of multiphase computed tomography (CT) compared with single-phase CT in the routine examination of patients with visible haematuria (VH).

Objective

To compare the accuracies of single nephrographic phase (NP) CT and four-phase CT in detecting urothelial carcinoma (UC).

Design setting and participants

This was a single-centre, prospective, paired, noninferiority study of patients with painless VH referred for CT before cystoscopy between September 2019 and June 2021. Patients were followed up for 1 yr to ascertain UC diagnosis.

Intervention

All patients underwent four-phase CT (control), from which single NP CT (experimental) was extracted. Both were independently assessed for UC.

Outcome measurements and statistical analysis

The primary outcome was the difference in accuracy between the control and experimental CT using a 7.5% noninferiority limit. Histologically verified UC defined a positive reference standard. Secondary outcomes included differences in sensitivity, specificity, negative (NPV) and positive (PPV) predictive values, and area under the curve (AUC). All results are reported per patient.

Results and limitations

Of the 308 patients included, UC was diagnosed in 45 (14.6%). The difference in accuracy between the control and experimental CT was 1.9% (95% confidence interval -2.8 to 6.7), demonstrating noninferiority. Sensitivity was 93.3% versus 91.1%, specificity was 83.7% versus 81.8%, NPV was 98.7% versus 98.2%, PPV was 49.4% versus 46.1%, and AUC was 0.96 versus 0.94 for the control versus experimental CT. Limitations included a low number of UC cases and no definite criteria for selecting a noninferiority limit.

Conclusions

The accuracy of NP CT is not inferior to that of four-phase CT for detecting UC.

Patient summary

This study shows that a computed tomography (CT) examination with only one contrast phase is no worse than a more complex CT examination for detecting cancer in the urinary tract among patients presenting with visible blood in the urine.

Benefit of including CT urography in [68Ga]PSMA-11 PET/CT with low-dose CT: first results from a larger prostate cancer cohort analysis

BACKGROUND

Accuracy of [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 PET/CT may be hampered by ureter accumulation, mimicking lymph node metastases depending on localization and configuration. The benefit of CT urography for differentiation of lymph node metastasis from urinary tract activity was evaluated in a "PET/CT with low-dose CT" setting.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of PET/CT for primary staging, biochemical recurrence or local treatment planning in patients with prostate cancer. For CT urography (CTU), iodinated contrast agent was administered 10 minutes prior to image acquisition. All potential pathologic (peri)ureteral tracer uptake was assigned to excretory ureteral accumulation or pathological lesion. To assess additional provided benefit of CTU all foci were rated with an introduced scoring system (ranging from 0 pts: CTU not needed; up to 3 pts: no differentiation possible without CTU). Success of ureter contrasting was assessed by measurement of Hounsfield units. Besides benefit for reading urography-enhanced PET/CT, the possible impact on subsequent patient treatment was evaluated.

RESULTS

A number of N.=247 patients were included in this study. By CT urography, it was possible to identify each ureter on low-dose CT, with its major part contrasted. In 120/247 (48.6%) patients, urography increased the diagnostic confidence while providing substantial support for interpretation in 60 (24.3%) cases. In 42 (17.0%) patients, urography was clinically relevant (up-/downstaging) with potential impact on subsequent patient care. In 30 of these 42 cases (12.1% of all), discrepant treatment would have resulted from a misdiagnosed tracer accumulation without urography.

CONCLUSIONS

CT urography benefits the interpretation of [⁶⁸Ga]-PSMA-11 PET/CT with low-dose CT and leads to discrepant patient treatment in a small but significant subset of patients (12% in our cohort). The implementation of CT urography into standard protocols of [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 PET/CT with low-dose CT is recommended.

Multimodality imaging review of focal renal lesions

Background

Focal lesions of the kidney comprise a spectrum of entities that can be broadly classified as malignant tumors, benign tumors, and non-neoplastic lesions. Malignant tumors include renal cell carcinoma subtypes, urothelial carcinoma, lymphoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, metastases to the kidney, and rare malignant lesions. Benign tumors include angiomyolipoma (fat-rich and fat-poor) and oncocytoma. Non-neoplastic lesions include infective, inflammatory, and vascular entities. Anatomical variants can also mimic focal masses.

Main body of the abstract

A range of imaging modalities are available to facilitate characterization; ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and positron emission tomography (PET), each with their own strengths and limitations. Renal lesions are being detected with increasing frequency due to escalating imaging volumes. Accurate diagnosis is central to guiding clinical management and determining prognosis. Certain lesions require intervention, whereas others may be managed conservatively or deemed clinically insignificant. Challenging cases often benefit from a multimodality imaging approach combining the morphology, enhancement and metabolic features.

Short conclusion

Knowledge of the relevant clinical details and key imaging features is crucial for accurate characterization and differentiation of renal lesions.

Radiation therapy for nonmetastatic medically inoperable upper-tract urothelial carcinoma

Background

The standard management for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). However, some patients cannot undergo this procedure for several reasons, such as unresectable disease, old age, and multiple comorbidities. Our study explored the potential safety and effectiveness of radiotherapy as a curative treatment for UTUC patients unfit for surgery.

Methods

The data of patients treated with radiotherapy between December 2017 and November 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. For the literature review, computerized PubMed Medline, Index Medicus, and Web of Science databases and reference lists from the identified publications of interest were used. And “upper-tract urothelial carcinoma” and “radiotherapy” were used as key words in the search.

Results

We describe 8 patients with UTUC who were treated with radiotherapy. The median follow-up time was 13.5 months (range, 8.6–30.9 months). Local tumor control was achieved in all patients. However, distant metastases were observed in 2 patients with T3-4/N+ status. One patient had T4 status and the other had N2+ status. The patients died of tumor progression at 15.0 and 17.7 months. In addition, the other 6 patients who were still alive had relatively early-stage tumors without nodal involvement. Regarding acute toxicity, according to the CTCAE v5.0, mild side effects were noted, including grade 1 nausea and diarrhea. Four patients developed mild anemia, generally of grade 1–2. One patient experienced grade 3 anemia, but it was manageable and improved with symptomatic support. In addition, no grade 4 acute or late toxicities were observed. No significant long-term impairment of renal function occurred.

Conclusions

For patients with nonmetastatic UTUC who are not suitable for surgery, radiotherapy is a safe treatment and can achieve good local tumor control.

Cancer Prevalence and Risk Stratification in Adults Presenting With Hematuria: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Objective

To calculate the prevalence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UT-UC), and lower urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (LT-UC) in patients with gross asymptomatic microhematuria (AMH) and symptomatic microhematuria (SMH).

Patients and Methods

This study was a population-based retrospective descriptive study. The study was approved by both the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board and the Olmsted Medical Center Institutional Review Board, and the population used was Olmsted County residents. A total of 4453 patients who presented with an initial episode of hematuria from January 1, 2000, through December 30, 2010, were included. Of the 4453 patients (median age, 58 years; interquartile range, 44.6-73.3 years), 1487 (33.4%) had gross hematuria, 2305 (51.8%) had AMH, and 661 (14.8%) had SMH.

Results

In the 1487 patients with gross hematuria, the prevalence of RCC, UT-UC, and LT-UC was 1.3%, 0.8%, and 9.0%, respectively. In the 2305 patients with AMH, the prevalence of RCC, UT-UC, and LT-UC was 0.2%, 0.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. In the 661 patients with SMH, the prevalence of RCC, UT-UC, and LT-UC was 0.6%, 0.2%, and 0.3%, respectively. Age was the most relevant risk factor for any hematuria type.

Conclusion

This unique cohort study reported that the prevalence of RCC or UC in patients with AMH and SMH was low, especially in the young cohort, and a large number of intense work-ups, such as cystoscopy and computed tomography urography, currently conducted could be omitted if stratified by hematuria type and age.

Imaging protocols for CT urography: results of a consensus conference from the French Society of Genitourinary Imaging

OBJECTIVES

To develop technical guidelines for computed tomography urography.

METHODS

The French Society of Genitourinary Imaging organised a Delphi consensus conference with a two-round Delphi survey followed by a face-to-face meeting. Consensus was strictly defined using a priori criteria.

RESULTS

Forty-two expert uro-radiologists completed both survey rounds with no attrition between the rounds. Ninety-six (70%) of the initial 138 statements of the questionnaire achieved final consensus. An intravenous injection of 20 mg of furosemide before iodinated contrast medium injection was judged mandatory. Improving the quality of excretory phase imaging through oral or intravenous hydration of the patient or through the use of an abdominal compression device was not deemed necessary. The patient should be imaged in the supine position and placed in the prone position only at the radiologist's request. The choice between single-bolus and split-bolus protocols depends on the context, but split-bolus protocols should be favoured whenever possible to decrease patient irradiation. Repeated single-slice test acquisitions should not be performed to decide of the timing of excretory phase imaging; instead, excretory phase imaging should be performed 7 min after the injection of the contrast medium. The optimal combination of unenhanced, corticomedullary phase and nephrographic phase imaging depends on the context; suggestions of protocols are provided for eight different clinical situations.

CONCLUSION

This expert-based consensus conference provides recommendations to standardise the imaging protocol for computed tomography urography.

KEY POINTS

• To improve excretory phase imaging, an intravenous injection of furosemide should be performed before the injection of iodinated contrast medium. • Systematic oral or intravenous hydration is not necessary to improve excretory phase imaging. • The choice between single-bolus and split-bolus protocols depends on the context, but split-bolus protocols should be favoured whenever possible to decrease patient irradiation.

CT urography: how to optimize the technique

PURPOSE

Computed tomography urography (CTU) has emerged as the modality of choice for imaging the urinary tract within the past few decades. It is a powerful tool that enables detailed anatomic evaluation of the urinary tract in order to identify primary urothelial malignancies, benign urinary tract conditions, and associated abdominopelvic pathologies. As such, there have been extensive efforts to optimize CTU protocol.

METHODS

This article reviews the published literature on CTU protocol optimization, including contrast bolus timing, dose reduction, reconstruction algorithms, and ancillary practices.

CONCLUSION

There have been many advances in CTU techniques, which allow for imaging diagnosis of a wide spectrum of diseases while minimizing radiation dose and maximizing urinary tract distension and opacification.

Clinical staging of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma for T staging: Review and pictorial essay

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma is staged using the TNM classification of malignant tumors. Preoperative TNM is important for treatment planning. Computed tomography urography is now widely used for clinical survey of upper urinary tract carcinoma because of its diagnostic accuracy. Computed tomography urography is recommended as the first-line imaging procedure in several guidelines. Several reports stated that computed tomography urography is also useful for staging. However, no educational and practical reviews detailing the T staging of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas using imaging are available. We discuss the scanning protocol, T staging using computed tomography urography, limitations, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography comparison and pitfalls in imaging of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. A recent study reported the high diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography urography with respect to T3 or higher stage tumors. To date, images that show a Tis-T2 stage have not been reported, but various studies are ongoing. Although magnetic resonance imaging has lower spatial resolution than computed tomography urography, magnetic resonance imaging can be carried out without radiation exposure or contrast agents. Magnetic resonance imaging also offers the unique ability of diffusion-weighted imaging without contrast agent use. Some researchers reported that diffusion-weighted imaging is useful not only for detecting lesions, but for predicting the T stage and tumor grade. We recommend the appropriate use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance while considering the limitations of each modality and the pitfalls in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma imaging.

Consultation on UTUC, Stockholm 2018 aspects of diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Purpose

To summarize knowledge on upper urinary tract carcinoma (UTUC) regarding diagnostic procedures, risk factors and prognostic markers.

Methods

A scoping review approach was applied to search literature in Pubmed, Web of Science, and Embase. Consensus was reached through discussions at Consultation on UTUC in Stockholm, September 2018.

Results

Tumor stage and grade are the most important prognostic factors. CT urography (CTU) including corticomedullary phase is the preferred imaging modality. A clear tumor on CTU in combination with high-grade UTUC in urine cytology identifies high-risk UTUC, and in some cases indirect staging can be obtained. Bladder urine cytology has limited sensitivity, and in most cases ureterorenoscopy (URS) with in situ samples for cytology and histopathology are mandatory for exact diagnosis. Image-enhancing techniques, Image S1 and narrow-band imaging, may improve tumor detection at URS. Direct confocal laser endomicroscopy may help to define grade during URS. There is strong correlation between stage and grade, accordingly correct grading is crucial. The correlation is more pronounced using the 1999 WHO than the 2004 classification: however, the 1999 system risks greater interobserver variability. Using both systems is advisable. A number of tissue-based molecular markers have been studied. None has proven ready for use in clinical practice.

Conclusions

Correct grading and staging of UTUC are mandatory for adequate treatment decisions. Optimal diagnostic workup should include CTU with corticomedullary phase, URS with in situ cytology and biopsies. Both WHO classification systems (1999 and 2004) should be used to decrease risk of undergrading or overtreatment.

Comprehensive Imaging and Surgical Review of Urinary Diversions: What the Radiologist Needs to Know

Urinary diversions are surgical procedures that reconstruct the lower urinary tract following cystectomy. The 2 common surgical approaches are based on the continence status of the urinary tract. Incontinent diversions have continuous urine drainage through a cutaneous stoma, whereas continent diversions offer the patient the ability to self-void either via stoma catheterization or with the patient's own urethra. Given the large number of diversion procedures available, postsurgical anatomy may be complex. Multiple imaging modalities can be used to assess the postprocedural anatomy, potential complications, and for on-going oncologic monitoring. The purpose of this review is to describe the common surgical techniques and associated complications.

Upper tract urothelial cancer

While urothelial carcinoma is a very common tumor, involvement of the upper tract is relatively uncommon. Consequently, there are no consensus imaging recommendations for upper tract disease. CT urography is the dominant imaging modality for the upper tract, but despite its excellent performance characteristics and being widely accepted as standard of care there is great variability in how CTU exams are performed across practices. MR urography has limited current application, but has the potential to become more mainstream in the future with continued technical advances. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma can manifest as a variety of appearances: a papillary lesion, focal wall thickening, focal enhancement, or as an infiltrative lesion. Pelvicalyceal location is about twice as common as in the ureter. Tumors in the pelvicalyceal location often manifest as an irregular enhancing soft tissue attenuation filling defect, and may be sessile or polypoid in morphology. Within the ureter, 73% are located in the distal segment.

Cost-effectiveness of Common Diagnostic Approaches for Evaluation of Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria

IMPORTANCE

Asymptomatic microscopic hematuria (AMH) is highly prevalent and may signal occult genitourinary (GU) malignant abnormality. Common diagnostic approaches differ in their costs and effectiveness in detecting cancer. Given the low prevalence of GU malignant abnormality among patients with AMH, it is important to quantify the cost implications of detecting cancer for each approach.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the effectiveness, costs, and incremental cost per cancer detected (ICCD) for 4 common diagnostic approaches evaluating AMH.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A decision-analytic model-based cost-effectiveness analysis using inputs from the medical literature. PubMed searches were performed to identify relevant literature for all key model inputs, each of which was derived from the clinical study with the most robust data and greatest applicability. Analysis included adult patients with AMH on routine urinalysis with subgroups of high-risk patients (males, smokers, age ≥50 years) seen in the primary care or urologic referral setting.

INTERVENTIONS

Four diagnostic approaches were evaluated relative to the reference case of no evaluation: (1) computed tomography (CT) alone; (2) cystoscopy alone; (3) CT and cystoscopy combined; and (4) renal ultrasound and cystoscopy combined.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

At termination of the diagnostic period, cancers detected, costs (payer perspective), and ICCD per 10 000 patients evaluated for AMH.

RESULTS

Of the 4 diagnostic approaches analyzed, CT alone was dominated by all other strategies, detecting 221 cancers at a cost of $9 300 000. Ultrasound and cystoscopy detected 245 cancers and was most cost-effective with an ICCD of $53 810. Replacing ultrasound with CT detected just 1 additional cancer at an ICCD of $6 480 484. Ultrasound and cystoscopy remained the most cost-effective approach in subgroup analysis. The model was not sensitive to any inputs within the proposed ranges. Using probabilistic sensitivity analysis, ultrasound and cystoscopy was the dominant strategy in 100% of simulations.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The combination of renal ultrasound and cystoscopy is the most cost-effective among 4 diagnostic approaches for the initial evaluation of AMH. The use of ultrasound in lieu of CT as the first-line diagnostic strategy will optimize cancer detection and reduce costs associated with evaluation of AMH. Given our findings, we need to critically evaluate the appropriateness of our current clinical practices, and potentially alter our guidelines to reflect the most effective screening strategies for patients with AMH.

Update of the ICUD-SIU consultation on upper tract urothelial carcinoma 2016: treatment of low-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The conservative management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has historically been offered to patients with imperative indications. The recent International Consultation on Urologic Diseases (ICUD) publication on UTUC stratified treatment allocations based on high- and low-risk groups. This report updates the conservative management of the low-risk group.

METHODS

The ICUD for low-risk UTUC working group performed a thorough review of the literature with an assessment of the level of evidence and grade of recommendation for a variety of published studies in this disease space. We update these publications and provide a summary of that original report.

RESULTS

There are no prospective randomized controlled studies to support surgical management guidelines. A risk-stratified approach based on clinical, endoscopic, and biopsy assessment allows selection of patients who could benefit from kidney-preserving procedures with oncological outcomes potentially similar to radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision, with the added benefit of renal function preservation. These treatments are aided by the development of high-definition flexible digital URS, multi-biopsies with the aid of access sheaths and other tools, and promising developments in the use of adjuvant topical therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Recent developments in imaging, minimally invasive techniques, multimodality approaches, and adjuvant topical regimens and bladder cancer prevention raise the hope for improved risk stratification and may greatly improve the endoscopic treatment for low-risk UTUC.

Comprehensive MR Urography Protocol: Equally Good Diagnostic Performance and Enhanced Visibility of the Upper Urinary Tract Compared to Triple-Phase CT Urography

Objectives

To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance and the visualization of the upper urinary tract (UUT) using a comprehensive 3.0T- magnetic resonance urography (MRU) protocol versus triple-phase computed tomography urography (CTU).

Methods

During the study period (January-2014 through December-2015), all consecutive patients in our tertiary university hospital scheduled by a urologist for CTU to exclude UUT malignancy were invited to participate. Diagnostic performance and visualization scores of 3.0T-MRU were compared to CTU using Wilcoxon matched-pairs test.

Results

Twenty patients (39 UUT excreting units) were evaluated. 3.0T-MRU and CTU achieved equal diagnostic performances. The benign etiology of seven UUT obstructions was clarified equally with both methods. Another two urinary tract malignant tumors and one benign extraurinary tumor were detected and confirmed. Diagnostic visualization was slightly better in the intrarenal cavity areas with CTU but worsened towards distal ureter. MRU showed consistently slightly better visualization of the ureter. In the comparison, full 100% visualizations were detected in all areas in 93.6% (with 3.0T-MRU) and 87.2% (with CTU) and >75% visualization in 100% (3.0T-MRU) and 93.6% (CTU). Mean CTU effective radiation dose was 9.2 mSv.

Conclusions

Comprehensive 3.0T-MRU is an accurate imaging modality achieving comparable performance with CTU; since it does not entail exposure to radiation, it has the potential to become the primary investigation technique in selected patients.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02606513