Upper Urinary Tract Pathology

The upper urinary tract includes the renal pelvis, its branches (renal calyces), and the ureter. One of the misconceptions about the upper urinary tract pathology is that there is no difference in pathologic conditions between the upper urinary tract and lower urinary tract, including bladder and urethra. It is true that most lesions in the lower tract can be seen in the upper tract. However, some pathological conditions in the upper tract may be biologically and biochemically different from the ones in the lower tract. Furthermore, the clinical management for these pathological conditions in the upper tract can be significantly different from those of the lower tract. Therefore, these important issues of the upper tract need to be addressed.