Urological diagnosis – history and investigations

Taking a history from, and the examination of, patients is key to determining the nature of their illness and its effect upon their quality of life. Whilst modern medicine has replaced many clinical skills with investigative techniques, the patient interview and examination is still vital to determine the correct treatment plan. Here we review the salient points necessary to make a urological diagnosis and discuss briefly modern investigative technologies. In particular we detail the common urological tests used in contemporary practice and illustrate their use with disease examples.