Perineal sonography in diagnosis of an ectopic ureteric opening into the urethra.

OBJECTIVE

To study the role of perineal sonography in the diagnosis of an ectopic ureteric opening into the urethra.

METHODS

In this study, carried out over about 4 years, perineal sonography was done to look for a ureter opening ectopically into the urethra in patients for whom abdominal sonography showed the ureter descending below and beyond the urinary bladder.

RESULTS

Perineal sonography was done on 11 patients because there was a suggestion of an ectopic ureteric opening shown on abdominal sonography. In all of them, an ectopic ureteric opening into the urethra was shown on perineal sonography. The collecting system was seen to be nonduplicated in 6 patients and duplicated in 4 patients, and a triple ureter was present in 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Perineal sonography is a simple, quick, beneficial, and noninvasive technique that can be used as an extension of abdominal sonography to diagnose an ectopic ureteric opening into the urethra.