Imaging Modalities Used for Assessment of the Bladder

Abstract

Prior to the introduction of ultrasound, the plain abdominal radiograph or the radiograph of the kidney, ureter, and bladder (KUB), followed by an intravenous urogram (IVU) or excretory urogram (EU), was the “workhorse” imaging modality of the urinary tract. The KUB also has a long history; one of the very first radiographic diagnoses made was a renal stone. Indeed, a book devoted to the contribution of radiography in the diagnosis and management of urinary tract calculi was published in 1908 by Harry Fenwick, a London-based surgeon.

However, the value of the KUB is now increasingly challenged by the explosion in the technical ability of the cross-sectional and computerized modalities such as ultrasound, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, although it still maintains a role in certain situations. Its particular value is still in demonstrating the presence or absence of calcification or calculi related to the urogenital tract (Fig. 2.1).