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Excretory System

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Book cover Clinical MRI of the Abdomen

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Abstract

Unlike any other noninvasive imaging technique, only MR urography offers two different strategies of how to examine and visualize the upper urinary tract. Irrespective of the renal function, unenhanced heavily T2-weighted turbo spin-echo sequences simply generate static-water images of the urinary tract. Secondly, T1-weighted excretory MR urography imitates conventional intravenous urography by imaging of the contrast-enhanced urine after intravenous injection and renal excretion of a gadolinium agent. Low-dose furosemide-enhanced breath-hold T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo sequences are best suited for excretory MR urography. Both MR urography techniques can be carried out separately or in combination.

Furthermore, MR urography can be combined with standard abdominal MR scans, MR angiography, and functional MR nephrography for obtaining a comprehensive single-session examination of the upper urinary tract.

This chapter reviews the technical principles, imaging features, and current clinical applications of MR urography. Common parameters of different MR urographic pulse sequences are presented in table form for the use in adult and pediatric patients. According to typical clinical situations, an algorithm shows pathways for the easy operation of T1- and T2-weighted MR urography techniques in daily patient care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Evangelic Hospital of Mülheim, Teaching Hospital of the University Medical Center of Düsseldorf, Wertgasse 30, 45468, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

    Claus Nolte-Ernsting

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  1. Claus Nolte-Ernsting
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Correspondence to Claus Nolte-Ernsting .

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  1. Dept. Radiology, University Hospital Iraklion, Stavrakia 1352, Iraklion, Crete, 711 10, Greece

    Nicholas C. Gourtsoyiannis

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© 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg

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Nolte-Ernsting, C. (2009). Excretory System. In: Gourtsoyiannis, N. (eds) Clinical MRI of the Abdomen. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85689-4_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85689-4_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-85688-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-85689-4

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