MR Virtual Endoscopy of the Upper Urinary Tract
Emanuele Neri1,
Piero Boraschi2,
Davide Caramella1,
Luigi Battolla1,
Roberto Gigoni2,
Nicola Armillotta1,
Giovanni Braccini2 and
Carlo Bartolozzi1
1
Department of Oncology, Transplants and Advanced Technologies in Medicine,
Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Pisa, Via
Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy.
2
Second Department of Radiology, Pisa University Hospital, 56100, Pisa,
Italy.

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Fig. 1. 57-year-old woman who underwent colectomy for colorectal
cancer. MR urogram shows dilatation of left renal pelvis and ureter, caused by
extrinsic compression of ureter by postoperative fibrosis. Histogram was
obtained by tracing on MR urogram circular region of interest (size, 1000
mm2) to include urinary tract (B) and surrounding tissue (A). Among
image pixels belonging to urinary tract, virtual endoscopy threshold is
identified as cluster of pixels with lower signal intensity.
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Fig. 2A. 43-year-old man with recurrent infections of urinary tract.
MR urogram source image shows dilatation of renal pelvis, suggesting
obstruction of pelviureteric junction.
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Fig. 2B. 43-year-old man with recurrent infections of urinary tract.
Maximum-intensity-projection image reveals site of urinary obstruction
(arrow). Note three major calices that fuse to form renal pelvis.
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Fig. 2C. 43-year-old man with recurrent infections of urinary tract.
Virtual endoscopic image, created by simulating position of endoscope at level
of renal pelvis, shows internal surface of superior (short solid
arrows), medium (open arrows), and inferior (long solid
arrows) major calices.
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Fig. 3A. 78-year-old man with hematuria. MR urogram shows filling
defect within renal pelvis (arrows).
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Fig. 3B. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Maximum-intensity-projection
image shows extension of lesion to superior major calyx (arrows).
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Fig. 3C. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic image,
created from pelviureteric junction to show renal pelvis and calices, reveals
well-defined irregularly shaped endoluminal mass.
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Fig. 3D. 78-year-old man with hematuria. MR urogram shows entire
dilatation of ureter (maximum diameter, 15 mm) and site of obstruction
(arrow).
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Fig. 3E. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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Fig. 3F. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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Fig. 3G. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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Fig. 3H. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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Fig. 3I. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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Fig. 3J. 78-year-old man with hematuria. Virtual endoscopic images,
obtained in ureter, show pelviureteric junction (E), abdominal
(F and G) and pelvic (H and I) tracts of ureter,
and site of occlusion (arrow, J).
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