URINARY-BLADDER DIVERTICULA - SONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS AND INTERPRETIVE PITFALLS

Diverticula of the urinary bladder can occasionally appear as complex pelvic masses not obviously connected to the bladder. Such presentatio ns can lead to diagnostic confusion and interpretative error. Sonograp hic findings and clinical histories were reviewed in 11 patients in wh om bladder diverticula were initially mistaken for other types of path ologic pelvic processes. Sonographic techniques that were helpful in e lucidating the true nature of the lesions included scanning from diffe rent perspectives with increasing increments of bladder distention, po stvoid images, endovaginal views, and color Doppler interrogation. The diagnosis of bladder diverticula should be considered and actively pu rsued when sonologists are confronted with pelvic masses of ambiguous origin.