The usefulness of agent emission imaging - high mechanical index ultrasound mode in the diagnosis of urolithiasis: a prospective preliminary study (original) (raw)

2018, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology

rolithiasis is an important public health problem worldwide owing to its high prevalence and recurrence rates as high as 50%. It is more common in men, and it affects nearly 5%-10% of the European and North American population, although it may be more prevalent in other regions of the world (1). Radiologic imaging techniques have an important role in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of urolithiasis. Abdominal X-ray, intravenous pyelography (IVP), sonography, and computed tomography (CT) have long been used as the primary imaging modalities (2) .Thin-section unenhanced abdominal CT is regarded as the gold standard imaging modality for the diagnosis of urinary system calculi due to high specificity and sensitivity values (2). Nevertheless, there is a growing concern about radiation exposure and associated cancer risk with the use of CT examinations (3). Despite many advantages of CT in the diagnosis of calculi, it has some important limitations including repeated radiation exposure, increased sensitivity to radiation's harmful effects in pregnancy and childhood, relatively high cost, and limited availability (4). Ultrasonography (US), a widely available and reliable imaging modality, has some disadvantages in the diagnosis of urinary calculi due to certain factors such as obesity, intes-From the Departments of Radiology (A.