Utility of ultrasound of the upper urinary tract in elderly men with indicators of obstructive symptoms or abnormal flow: how often can silent hydronephrosis be detected in general practice?

While the prevalence of hydronephrosis is very low in obduction studies, a prevalence of 3-13% is reported for patients with an obstruction who are listed for prostatectomy. In order to evaluate the usefulness of transabdominal ultrasound in primary care, we determined the occurrence of hydronephrosis in males with symptoms of urinary obstruction in a general practice setting.