A comparison of real-time ultrasonography with intravenous urography in the follow-up of patients with spinal cord injury.

Patients with spinal cord damage require an expert urological assessment at regular intervals. Seventy-five patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction associated with spinal paralysis attending for routine assessment of the upper urinary tract had both intravenous urography (IVU) and renal ultrasonography. The combination of a plain radiography of the abdomen and an ultrasound scan of the kidneys was found to be a cheap, safe and reliable alternative to intravenous urography for the regular follow-up of these patients.