Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 19, Issue 4 271-275, Copyright © 2000 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Transrectal ultrasonography of distal ureteral calculi: comparison with intravenous urography
D. Y. Yoon, S. H. Bae and C. S. Choi
Department of Radiology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
In a prospective fashion, transrectal ultrasonography and intravenous
urography were performed in 48 patients with distal ureteral calculi. We
compared the ability of the two modalities to detect calculus and to
determine the size of the calculus, the degree of obstruction, and the
degree of hydroureter. In 11 cases (23%), the calculus was not seen at
intravenous urography, while transrectal ultrasonography detected calculus
in each patient. In 37 cases in which calculi were detected by both
modalities, the average diameter of the calculus determined by
ultrasonography was significantly larger (P · 0.05) than that obtained by
plain radiography. Positive correlations were obtained in the assessment of
degree of obstruction (correlation coefficient = 0.587, P < 0.05) and
hydroureter (correlation coefficient = 0.794, P < 0.05) between the two
techniques. Transrectal ultrasonography appears to be a useful adjunctive
method to evaluate distal ureteral calculus, particularly if the results of
intravenous urography are inconclusive.
