Although sarcoidosis much more rarely causes an apparent

renal mass on imaging studies, malignancy should be considered. If bilateral masses are present or if a mass does not respond to medical treatment of sarcoidosis, then biopsy should be performed. Conclusions Although involvement of the GU tract is rare in sarcoidosis, it can occur in nearly any site. Because sarcoidosis is a benign and usually self-limited condition, its management is often much different from that of most primary genitourinary conditions. For this reason, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical it is important to consider it in the differential diagnosis for many urologic lesions. The management of lesions in the GU tract should consider many factors, including risk of malignancy, response to medical treatment, tolerance for surgery, and fertility status. Main Points Sarcoidosis can affect any organ of the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical genitourinary

tract. Sarcoidosis can mimic many conditions that require selleck chemicals aggressive or invasive treatments. Sarcoidosis is generally a self-limited condition, and it is most commonly treated conservatively with anti-inflammatory medications. Although sarcoidosis is rare in the genitourinary tract, it should commonly be on the differential diagnosis in urologic conditions.
Spinal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical neural tube defects are congenital malformations of the spine and spinal cord secondary to abnormal neural tube closure that occur between the third and fourth weeks of gestation. The term spinal dysraphism includes the overall group of defects derived from the maldevelopment of the ectodermal, mesodermal, and neuroectodermal tissues, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and

its sequelae may affect brain, bones, extremities, and bowel and bladder functions. The incidence of spinal dysraphism ranges from 3.2 to 4.6 per 10,000 births in North America1,2; no geographic variation has been seen, and there is a relatively uniform incidence in all ethnic groups.3 There is strong evidence that there has been a decline in incidence worldwide since the 1970s1,4; however, it is unclear whether this is a transient or Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical permanent trend. This decline is probably due to a systematic use of dietary folic acid before and during the gestational months,5 and more recently to the advent of prenatal diagnosis, which leads to therapeutic abortion in as many as half of the diagnosed cases in some countries.6 The disorder occurs equally or somewhat more commonly in female newborns (female, 1.0–1.7/male, 1.0), depending on most the populations studied. Embryologically, open spinal dysraphism (myelomeningocele) is thought to occur 3 to 4 weeks after conception at the time that the neural tube is closing.7 Myelomeningoceles are by far the most common spinal dysraphic condition affecting the lower urinary tract and therefore the most familiar to urologists.8 The lumbar and sacral regions are the most common vertebral levels affected9 (Table 1).