No abstract

Fistulas of the genitourinary tract have diverse anatomic locations, causes, and clinical features. They can involve the upper urinary tract (kidney, ureter), the lower urinary tract (bladder, urethra), or the female reproductive tract (vagina, uterus). Causes include infection, inflammatory disease, neoplasms, congenital conditions, trauma, and iatrogenic injury. Diagnosis of genitourinary tract fistulas usually requires radiologic studies performed with fluoroscopic or cross-sectional modalities. Fistulography is the most direct means of visualizing a fistula and should be considered when feasible (eg, cutaneous fistulas). Intravenous urography and pyelography or ureterography are mainstays of investigation of the upper tract. Likewise, voiding cystourethrography and urethrography are central to study of the lower tract. Cross-sectional techniques, in particular computed tomography, are increasingly useful for diagnosis and are considered the primary test in some cases. Radiologists should be familiar with the radiologic features of genitourinary tract fistulas for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. Management approaches depend on the type of fistula, the degree of morbidity, and the overall functional status of the patient and vary from conservative observation to aggressive surgical repair.

Clinical, urodynamic, radiological and endoscopic evaluations as well as operative results on more than 800 cases of stress incontinence treated at our medical center have led to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of female stress incontinence. We attempt to correlate these physiological concepts with information obtained from magnetic resonance images of the paraurethral and bladder neck areas in patients with known stress incontinence and normal controls. All magnetic resonance images were compared to cadaver step sections of the female pelvis. Normal controls without stress incontinence were used to define normal anatomy by magnetic resonance imaging. Etiology of incontinence was divided into either intrinsic urethral damage or anatomical malposition of an intact sphincteric unit. Our findings not only provide valuable support to basic concepts of the pathophysiology of stress incontinence but also help to establish normal findings of female paraurethral and bladder neck anatomy as seen by magnetic resonance imaging.

CT and PET each detected evidence of metastatic disease in 50% of all patients with a high PSA or PSA velocity (greater than 4 ng./ml. or greater than 0.2 ng./ml. per month, respectively). Both techniques are limited for detecting metastatic disease in patients with a low PSA or PSA velocity. Our data suggest that monoclonal antibody scan has a lower detection rate than CT or PET.

With a low incidence of 0.6%, adrenal involvement is not likely in patients with localized, early stage renal cell carcinoma and adrenalectomy is unnecessary, particularly when CT is negative. In contrast, the 8.1% incidence of adrenal involvement with advanced renal cell carcinoma supports the need for adrenalectomy. Careful review of preoperative imaging is required to determine the need for adrenalectomy in patients at increased risk with high stage lesions, renal vein thrombus and upper pole or multifocal intrarenal tumors. With a negative predictive value of 99.4%, negative CT should decrease the need for adrenalectomy. In contrast, positive findings are less reliable given the relatively lower positive predictive value of this imaging modality. Although such positive findings may raise suspicion of adrenal involvement, they may not necessarily indicate adrenalectomy given the low incidence, unless renal cell carcinoma with risk factors, such as high stage, upper pole location, multifocality and renal vein thrombus, is present.