Recent advances in pediatric uroradiology

Abstract

Pediatric Urology is a surgical subspecialty that is very dependent upon radiographic imaging as the majority of the genitourinary (GU) tract is internally located. Technological advances in various imaging modalities (e.g. ultrasonography, nuclear medicine, CT and MRI) have aided in our ability to visualize and evaluate the functionality of the GU tract, enabling the diagnosis of various disease processes that affect the genitourinary system. Collectively the advances in uro-radiology have improved our understanding of the natural history of many conditions that involve the GU tract. As a result of these newer imaging modalities, some of the more traditional techniques have assumed a limited role in the diagnostic evaluation of the pediatric GU patient (e.g. intravenous urography).The purpose of this article is to review the advances in radiographic imaging, in particular the cross-sectional imaging modalities and discuss their utility (appropriate indications and application) in Pediatric Urology, so that the reader can maximize the diagnostic yield of these studies. For a thorough review of any of the imaging modalities discussed in this article and their utility in the practice of pediatric urology, I would direct the readers to articles in the radiological literature that are specific to that technology. Besides the obvious technological advances in imaging modalities, this review also discusses the attention to radiation safety for the pediatric patient that every physician who orders a diagnostic imaging study in a child should be aware of.