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The paper deals with the current diagnosis of nonspecific and specific (tuberculosis) acute and chronic pyelonephritis. Having rather ample materials (308 patients with different forms of acute and chronic pyelonephritis), the authors compared different introscopic techniques (plain X-ray study, excretory urography, retrograde pyelography, ultrasonography, computed tomography and angiography) used in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with pyelonephritis. Based on their own findings and on the data available in the literature, the authors described the symptomatology of pyelonephritis in detail by using a great variety of diagnostic techniques. The paper shows the place and potentialities of conventional X-ray in a variety of current diagnostic studies and the potentialities of imaging techniques in recognizing pyelonephritis, assessing their extent and the reserve potentialities of the diseased kidney. The authors show that the rational use of routine and current radiographic techniques is of great diagnostic and prognostic value, enhances the efficiency of therapy for pyelonephritis, shortens treatment periods, reduces the number of radical nephrectomies by using organ-sparing operations more widely, and decreases mortality rates.

The paper presents the results of complex radiation diagnosis of 118 cases of retroperitoneal tumors and tumor-like states, including 71 patients with tumors of mesenchymal origin, 7 with those of neurogenic origin, 6 with cysts, 9 with lymphogranulomatosis, 8 with retroperitoneal fibrosis, 12 with metastases, and 5 with hematomas. A wide complex of routine and up-to-date high-technology radiation diagnostic techniques was used to study the patients. The authors show the merits and dismerits of each technique. Greatest attention is given to the assessment of current techniques, primarily to ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT). The studies have indicated that despite some specific features, many retroperitoneal tumors and tumor-like states bear similarities when various radiation methods are employed. The authors describe some syndromes which can be used to make a diagnosis. Despite the high capacities of US and CT in studying the normal and pathological structures of the human body, there are still great difficulties in differentiating different abnormalities when even the latest techniques are applied, these cases need paracentic aspiration or open biopsy.

The paper discusses the present-day radiation diagnosis of renal bulky formations: tumors and cysts. Based on the study of a great body of clinical data on 708 patients, the authors showed the potentialities of routine X-ray and currently available radiation techniques in the diagnosis of benign and malignant tumors and cysts of the kidney. Based on the data available in the literature and their own findings, the authors concluded that at the earliest stages of their preclinical development, tumors can be today diagnosed by a complete package of up-to-date diagnostic tools. Ultrasonic and computerized tomographies are of the highest informative value in diagnosing tumors and cystic formations. However, in some cases, a diagnosis is made via a routine excretory urography, angiography and needle biopsy. Excretory urography is of limited value for the diagnosis of renal bulky formations and it is used as an auxiliary mainly when a pathological process takes place in the renal hilus area. Angiography retains its significance as a supplementary technique. In the vast majority of cases, an accurate nosological diagnosis can be made on the basis of evaluation of the pattern of blood supply (the presence of abnormal vessels and their topographic features). The paper details the semiotics of a wide range of renal bulky processes by applying all currently available techniques of radiation diagnosis.

The paper deals with combined diagnosis of hepatic and biliary diseases, involving a wide range of nosological entities. It shows the potentialities of currently available diagnostic techniques for the most common diseases. The authors examined 175 patients with acute and chronic hepatitis, 120 with hepatic cirrhosis, 486 with cystic changes, 324 with benign tumors, 292 with malignant tumors, 21 with hepatic abscess, 527 with cholecystitis, 566 with cholelithiasis. Cancer of the gall-bladder was in 10 patients, its polyps were in 18, cancers of the common bile duct and bile papilla were in 6 and 4 patients, respectively. A complex of the used diagnostic techniques involved ultrasonic scanning, X-ray computed tomography, hepatobiliary scintigraphy, angiography, retrograde cholangiopancreatography, transhepatic cholangiography, etc. The authors have demonstrated that each method used is highly diagnostically effective. At the same time they have shown the limits of each technique in the diagnosis of certain diseases. The authors' data suggest that the total efficiency of the applied complex of diagnostic means approaches 100%.

Modern means and methods including ultrasonic scanning, computer-aided tomography and magnetic imaging, retrograde endoscopic cholangiopancreaticography give objective information about the type of changes in the pancreas in the majority of cases and help recognize diseases of this organ at comparatively early stages of their development, permit assessment of the extent of involvement, detection of complications, monitoring of the disease course, and prediction of its course and outcome. Today ultrasonic examination and x-ray computer-aided tomography are methods of choice in the diagnosis of pancreatitis. These methods help assess the depth and extent of the involvement, assess the type of changes, detect complications, monitor the disease course and treatment efficacy, carry out purposeful drainage, and predict the disease course. The potentialities of these two methods in the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors are virtually equal. When ultrasonic scanning is ineffective, computer-aided tomography should be resorted to. In mechanical jaundice, if both the above methods fail to reveal the caise of gall duct obstruction, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography or transcutaneous transhepatic puncture of the biliferous duct is recommended.