Assessment of Urinary Tract Calculi with 16-MDCT: The axial versus coronal plane

Tayebeh Mahnama¹ and Seyed Morteza Bagheri^2*

¹Resident of Radiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

²Department of Radiology, Hasheminejad Kidney Center (HKC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Corresponding Author E-mail: : smb_53@yahoo.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2298

ABSTRACT: The purpose of the current study was to compare the detection rate and size measurements of urinary tract calculi on coronal reformations versus the axial plane using 16-MDCT. In this cross sectional study 100 consecutive renal colic patients were evaluated using16- MDCT with collimation 1/5, axial thickness 2mm and coronal reformat thickness 2mm. Coronal and axial view randomly reported by two radiologist and then total images the other time reported by staff. 178 stones in axial and 168 stones in coronal view were detected but the mean number of detected stones in axial view was not significantly more than coronal view(p>0/05( . In two dimensional evaluation, maximum dimension of stones (kidneys and ureter totally) in coronal view was more than axial, but the difference was not significant (p>0/05). In two dimensional evaluation, maximum dimension of ureter stones the in coronal view was significantly more than axial. In 3D evaluation, stones size craniocaudaly in axial view was significantly more than coronal (0.001). The detection of stones was not improved using coronal view compared to axial view with thin thickness. Maximum size of ureter stones using coronal reformation was better estimated than axial view.Craniocaudal size of stone was overestimated in axial view than coronal probably because of partial volume effect.

KEYWORDS: Urinary Tract Stone; Axial; Coronal

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