[Transabdominal ultrasonography for detection of urologic diseases in the general health check].

From August, 1989 to December, 1992, 11,386 individuals consisting of 6,981 males and 4,405 females were examined in the general health check at Mito Saiseikai general hospital. Occult blood in dipstick urinalysis was detected in 190 of 6,981 males (2.7%) and 503 of 4,405 females (11.4%). Two renal cell carcinomas and ten bladder carcinomas were found out, but prostatic carcinoma could not be found out. None of these tumors were symptomatic. Two renal cell carcinomas, of which all patients had negative occult blood, were confirmed by computed tomography and angiography. Revealing the locally-confined tumor (Stage I) in the radiologic study, both tumors were resected with radical nephrectomy, and the pathological specimens showed pT2pNOpVO in both tumors. Of 10 bladder carcinomas seven transitional cell carcinomas, of which 6 patients had negative occult blood and one had positive occult blood, were confirmed by cystoscopy and TUR-BT. All of them were low-grade and low-stage tumors. Other three bladder carcinomas were detected by ultrasonography and cystoscopy, but these patient rejected TUR-BT. All of them had negative occult blood. We consider that the transabdominal ultrasonography is a very useful test for detecting the early stage of renal cancer and superficial bladder cancer. We recommend that transabdominal ultrasonography involving the kidney and the lower urinary tract should be performed in the general health check.