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Comprehensive non-invasive analysis of lower urinary tract anatomy using MRI

  • Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder, Retroperitoneum
  • Published:
Abdominal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Anatomic changes that coincide with aging including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) negatively impact quality of life. Use of MRI with its exquisite soft tissue contrast, full field-of-view capabilities, and lack of radiation is uniquely suited for quantifying specific lower urinary tract features and providing comprehensive measurements such as total bladder wall volume (BWV), bladder wall thickness (BWT), and prostate volume (PV). We present a technique for generating 3D anatomical renderings from MRI to perform quantitative analysis of lower urinary tract anatomy.

Methods

T2-weighted fast-spin echo MRI of the pelvis in 117 subjects (59F;58 M) aged 30–69 (49.5 ± 11.3) without known lower urinary tract symptoms was retrospectively segmented using Materialise software. Virtual 3D models were used to measure BWV, BWT, and PV.

Results

BWV increased significantly between the 30–39 and 60–69 year age group in women (p = 0.01), but not men (p = 0.32). BWV was higher in men than women aged 30–39 and 40–49 (p = 0.02, 0.05, respectively) ,but not 50–59 or 60–69 (p = 0.18, 0.16, respectively). BWT was thicker in men than women across all age groups. Regional differences in BWT were observed both between men and women and between opposing bladder wall halves (anterior/posterior, dome/base, left/right) within each sex in the 50–59 and 60–69 year groups. PV increased from the 30–39 to 60–69 year groups (p = 0.05). BWT was higher in subjects with enlarged prostates (> 40cm3) (p = 0.05).

Conclusion

Virtual 3D MRI models of the lower urinary tract reliably quantify sex-specific and age-associated changes of the bladder wall and prostate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Lucille E. Anzia, Cody J. Johnson, Diego Hernando, Shane A. Wells & Alejandro Roldán-Alzate

  2. Departments of Mechanical Engineering, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, 1513 University Avenue Rm 3035, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Lucille E. Anzia, Cody J. Johnson & Alejandro Roldán-Alzate

  3. Departments of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Lu Mao

  4. Departments of Medical Physics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Diego Hernando

  5. Departments of Urology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Wade A. Bushman

  6. Departments of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Alejandro Roldán-Alzate

Authors
  1. Lucille E. Anzia
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  2. Cody J. Johnson
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  3. Lu Mao
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  4. Diego Hernando
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  6. Shane A. Wells
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  7. Alejandro Roldán-Alzate
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Correspondence to Alejandro Roldán-Alzate.

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Anzia, L.E., Johnson, C.J., Mao, L. et al. Comprehensive non-invasive analysis of lower urinary tract anatomy using MRI. Abdom Radiol 46, 1670–1676 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02808-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02808-9

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