Evaluation of MRI and MRU value in the diagnosis of ureter diseases

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of MRI and MRU in ureter diseases. Methods One hundred and forteen patients with ureter diseases supposed clinically were examined by MRI and MRU. All cases were confirmed by surgery, pathology or ureteroscopy. Results One hundred and forteen cases included congenital malformation (n=15), benign stricture (n=21), ureteral calculus (n=12), ureteral carcinoma (n=18), extrinsic lesion (n=24). The accuracy of the correct diagnosis with MRU was 81.6% (93/114). Combined with conventional MRI images, the accuracy of the correct diagnosis was 92.1% (105/114). Conclusion MRU is an effective modality in the evaluation of ureter diseases, especially for patients who have contraindication to intravenous pyelography(IVP) or suffer from renal dysfunction. A combination of conventional MRI images can increase the accuracy of the correct diagnosis in the ureter diseases.