The urinary organs include the kidneys, ureters, bladder and functionally the urethra. All of them play a crucial role in ensuring the normal functioning of the body, so it is important to recognize diseases and injuries of these organs early and accurate. Radiation studies occupy a leading place in solving this issue among other diagnostic methods (laboratory and other instrumental) due to their high informational content, reproducibility and low invasiveness.
12.1. METHODS OF RADIATION DIAGNOSIS IN UROLOGY
Among the methods of radiation diagnosis in urology, the most commonly used is ultrasound diagnosis, as it is a universal method that meets the criteria of simplicity and informational content. The most informative diagnostic methods in complicated cases are X-ray CT and MRI, which are widely used in the examination of the patients with pathology of the genitourinary organs. At the same time, CT is considered the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of urolithiasis, and the priority of MRI is the visualization of the pelvic organs. Radionuclide method is often used to assess the functional state of the urinary organs.
Despite the fact that in many cases of diagnosis of pathology of the urinary organs, traditional radiological techniques have lost their primary meaning, X-ray examination remains the basic diagnostic technology in the study of the urethra.
12.1.1. Radiological method
Native survey X-ray and excretory urography are the most commonly performed as part of the radiological study. Other methods are used as additional ones for solving specific tasks. All of them belong to the group of special techniques based on the artificial contrasting of the urinary cavities. This large group, in addition to excretory urography, includes retrograde ureteropyelography, antegrade pyelography, renal an-giography, cystography, urethrography.