Three-dimensional planning of percutaneous renal stone surgery in a horseshoe kidney using 16-slice CT and volume-rendered movies.

Percutaneous management of calculi within horseshoe kidneys can be difficult because of the abnormal renal anatomy. We report our use of 16-slice CT scans to obtain three-dimensional (3D) volume-rendered (VR) movies of the pelvicaliceal system and stone for planning percutaneous renal stone surgery. The movie is formatted onto a disc, which can be played on a personal computer without additional software. This technique allows user-friendly 3D planning in the operating theatre. Unlike conventional two-dimensional images, the 3D VR movie provides a global appreciation for planning.