[Acute urogenital status]

Abstract

The symptoms of a child indicating a urogenital emergency case are often unspecific. Clinical differentiation from a gastrointestinal disease may be impossible since typical clinical manifestations include vomiting, fever and acute onset of abdominal pain, sometimes with the symptoms of a colic. Efficient diagnostic work up is imperative with regard to these patients since a quick establishment of the correct diagnosis allows timely treatment which in turn may avoid irreversible damage. Clinical evaluation of externally visible changes of the genitals like reddening and swelling of the scrotum helps to limit the differential diagnosis to a certain extent. Congenital urogenital diseases should be diagnosed or assumed by means of routine sonography during pregnancy in order to avoid typical complications of a delayed diagnosis after birth. This article focuses on the description and discussion of an effective use of radiologic techniques in some of the common urogenital emergency cases.