title: Virtual endoscopy: navigation within pelvicaliceal system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the use of virtual endoscopy (VE) for the investigation of the pelvicaliceal unit and the depiction of its anatomic deformities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two study groups were prospectively enrolled in our protocol: ten patients with nonurologic pathologies, and thus without any known deformity of the pelvicaliceal unit (group A), and five patients with caliceal obstruction (group B). Virtual endoscopy represented a non-invasive technique providing amplification of the image in three-dimensional space.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virtual endoscopy was feasible in all patients, and in all cases succeeded in demonstrating the threedimensional morphology of the region of interest. The entire processing time ranged from 10 to 15 minutes (mean 12.6 minutes), and the three-dimensional image could be viewed from different angles, allowing better evaluation of the collecting system and its deformities than is possible with conventional intravenous urography or percutaneous nephrostomography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Virtual endoscopy enabled the creation of endoluminal views of the renal pelvis and calices from spiral tomographic images, thereby allowing diagnostic-preoperative and postoperative evaluation of the pelvicaliceal unit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Patras, School of Medicine, Patras, Greece. Liatsikos@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Evangelos N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Liatsikos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siablis
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Kagadis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karnabatidis
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Petsas
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kalogeropoulou
authors.forename: Theodore P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Voudoukis
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Athanassopoulos
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perimenis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nikiforidis
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Barbalias
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007670:Kidney Calices / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014517:Ureteral Obstruction / Q000473:pathology; D014584:User-Computer Interface