Computerized tomography nephroscopic images of renal pelvic carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Computerized tomography (CT) endoscopy is an interactive 3-dimensional image acquired by helical CT. We assess the usefulness of CT nephroscopy in the diagnosis of renal pelvic cancers.


METHODS
Surface rendering CT nephroscopy was performed after intravenous administration of contrast agent and furosemide in 32 patients with suspected renal pelvic carcinoma. Retrospective review revealed that 23 patients later underwent nephroureterectomy. Two observers blinded to the pathology results independently reviewed the CT nephroscopic and axial CT images of the 23 patients to localize pelvic tumors and to determine the extent of the disease. The CT nephroscopic and axial CT images were correlated with the pathological findings.


RESULTS
Pathological examination revealed 4 polypoid, 6 pedunculated, 7 sessile, 1 sessile with ulceration and 6 infiltrating renal pelvic carcinomas in the 23 patients. CT nephroscopy revealed 22 carcinomas (92%) and CT demonstrated 20 (83%). CT nephroscopy was superior to axial CT in detecting 4 pedunculated and 3 infiltrating carcinomas but failed to detect 1 sessile carcinoma which completely replaced the upper portion of a double renal pelvis and 1 polypoid tumor associated with infiltrating carcinoma. The CT nephroscopic images correlated well with pathological findings.


CONCLUSIONS
CT nephroscopy is useful to visualize the complex morphology of renal pelvic carcinomas noninvasively and is superior to axial CT for the detection of infiltrating and pedunculated carcinomas.
Takebayashi
S
S
Department of Radiology, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Hosaka
M
M
Takase
K
K
Kubota
N
N
Kishida
T
T
Matsubara
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007682:Kidney Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed