Purpose or Case Report: The purpose of this educational exhibit is to review radiography, fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US) imaging appearance of commonly placed genitourinary catheters. The imaging findings associated with appropriately positioned catheters as well as misplaced and displaced catheters are described.
Methods & Materials: Imaging studies were retrospectively reviewed for patients with genitourinary catheters evaluated in the diagnostic radiology or interventional radiology departments at our tertiary care pediatric institution from September 2013 through August 2015. Some of the genitourinary catheters were placed at our institution and others were referred for evaluation after catheter placement at outside institutions. A literature review was performed in addition to the review of departmental cases. Imaging was selected for appropriately positioned catheters in patients with normal anatomy and those with congenital or postsurgical anatomical variants. Imaging was also selected for misplaced and displaced catheters in order to describe key findings in recognizing malpositioned catheters.
Results: Imaging findings are presented for a variety of genitourinary catheters, including nephrostomy tube, double-J ureteral stent, kidney internal splint stent (KISS) stent, Malecot catheter, Foley catheter, and feeding tube bladder catheter.
Conclusions: Genitourinary catheters have diverse imaging appearances, especially in patients with congenital anatomical variants and postsurgical changes. It is important for diagnostic radiologists to be familiar with normal and abnormal positions of a variety of genitourinary catheters as displacement may be first recognized on diagnostic imaging studies.