| Abstract: |
Hematuria, which means blood in the urine, is one of the most common signs and symptoms of underlying genitourinary disease. Hematuria is classified as either gross (visible) or microscopic (not visible). Patients with gross hematuria have a much higher likelihood of an underlying malignant cause and generally require prompt evaluation. Alternatively, the definition of clinically significant microscopic hematuria varies among different specialties and guidelines. Since the prevalence of significant pathology is rare among those with microscopic hematuria, there remains considerable debate on the utility of evaluating all of these patients. In recent years, the harms of overevaluation are being increasingly recognized and risk-adapted diagnostic strategies are now recommended. This chapter summarizes the definitions, etiologies, and risk classifications algorithms for hematuria as well as the data supporting various evaluation strategies. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved. |
