Open Access

RESIDENT’S CORNER

Case series demonstrating the clinical utility of dual energy computed tomography in patients requiring stents for urinary calculi

Maria A. Jepperson¹, David D. Thiel², Joseph G. Cernigliaro¹, Gregory A. Broderick², William E. Haley³

1 Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
2 Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
3 Division of Nephrology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Address correspondence to Dr. Maria Jepperson, Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 2 East Radiology, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA

Canadian Journal of Urology 2014, 21(1), 7166-7170.

Abstract

Dual energy computed tomography (DECT) utilizes the material change in attenuation when imaged at two different energies to determine the composition of urinary calculi as uric acid or non-uric acid. We discuss a series of case reports illustrating DECT’s ability to provide immediate determination of uric acid versus non-uric acid calculi and facilitate more informed clinical decision-making. Further, these cases demonstrate a unique population of patients with ureteral stents and percutaneous nephrostomy tubes that benefit from DECT’s ability to create a virtual color contrast between an indwelling device and the stone material and thereby significantly impacting patient morbidity.

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