Journal of endourology
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Journal of endourology · Oct 2013
Comparative StudyRadiation exposure in the follow-up of patients with urolithiasis comparing digital tomosynthesis, non-contrast CT, standard KUB, and IVU.
To compare the effective doses (EDs) associated with imaging modalities for follow-up of patients with urolithiasis, including stone protocol non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT), kidney, ureter, and bladder radiograph (KUB), intravenous urogram (IVU), and digital tomosynthesis (DT). ⋯ Among the different imaging modalities for follow-up of patients with urolithiasis, DT was associated with the least radiation exposure (0.83 mSv). This ED corresponds to a fifth of NCCT or IVU studies. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of DT for the follow-up of nephrolithiasis patients.
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Journal of endourology · Oct 2013
In vitro randomized comparison of a standard and novel echogenic needle for ultrasonography-guided renal targeting.
Urologists are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of pretreatment percutaneous renal biopsy of small renal cortical neoplasms. A barrier to the routine performance of ultrasonography-guided percutaneous renal biopsy has been the technical challenges associated with the procedure. We evaluated a new modified needle, which incorporates an echogenic needle tip designed to improve the needle tip's visibility under ultrasonographic visualization. We evaluated and compared the ultrasonographic imaging quality of the echogenic needle (EN) and a standard needle (SN). ⋯ In this in vitro trial, the application of the EN improved needle visibility for users of all levels of experience. Clinical correlation is pending.