Imaging of the Paediatric Urogenital Tract

When discussing imaging of the paediatric urogenital (UG) system, the basic rational of any imaging should be reconsidered and remembered: imaging should only be used if it has an impact on diagnosis, treatment, further management and/or patient outcome. Particularly, in paediatrics the imaging modality should be selected considering the specifi c paediatric needs and diseases: imaging should try to avoid ionising radiation whenever possible, the least invasive procedure applicable for the individual query should be selected (e.g., try to avoid catheterism if possible, reduce examinations that need sedation, etc.), and any imaging that does not impact management should be avoided. Furthermore, the recommended imaging method should be easily accessible and available. Another basic comment on imaging in children: children are not small adults, therefore state-of-the-art imaging of infants and children requires dedicated techniques (equipment, transducer, fi ltering…) as well as age-adapted investigation protocols (ultrasound, CT, MR, etc.). This means that everyone who deals with children needs to have not only the adequate equipment available, but also has undergone dedicated training in paediatric imaging.