Multi-detector row CT of the kidneys and urinary tract: techniques and applications in the diagnosis of benign diseases

Multi-detector row helical computed tomography (CT) offers considerable advantages in evaluation of the urinary tract. It has the potential to become the single imaging modality used for comprehensive evaluation and treatment planning of most conditions affecting the kidneys and urinary tract, making conventional diagnostic techniques such as intravenous urography and angiography nearly obsolete. This article illustrates important selected applications of multidetector CT in the evaluation of benign conditions of the kidneys and upper urinary tract, including evaluation of the renal arterial and venous anatomy in preparation for surgery, diagnosis of renal artery stenosis and aneurysms, assessment of the renal veins, imaging of inflammatory and infectious renal diseases and evaluation of selected benign pathologic processes of the urinary tract.