Ultrasound of the urinary bladder with determination of residual urine

Ultrasound of the urinary bladder with the determination of residual urine volume is quite often prescribed in disorders of urination of a neurogenic nature. In this case, it is customary to understand residual volume as the volume of the liquid that did not separate from the bubble, which remained after the completed act of urination. It should be noted that in the norm it should not exceed 50 ml or be no more than 10% of the initial volume.

How is the research conducted?

Before the ultrasound of the urinary bladder with residual urine, the patient should not visit the toilet 3 hours before the study. Therefore, the procedure is often appointed for the morning hours. Before carrying out physiological calculations with the help of an ultrasound apparatus, the doctor, basing himself on a special formula, sets the volume of the liquid in it according to the size of the bubble . After this, the patient is offered to urinate, and then conduct a repeated examination of the bladder with ultrasound. In this case, the organ is measured in 3 directions.

It is worth noting that the results obtained in this study are often erroneous (due to a violation of the drinking regimen, the intake of diuretics, for example). That is why the procedure can be repeated several times, up to 3 times.

How do they evaluate the results and what can they talk about?

When the results of the ultrasound of the bladder, the amount of residual urine does not correspond to the norm, the doctors assess the condition of the walls of the organ itself. At the same time, the upper sections of the urinary system and the kidneys are carefully diagnosed.

An increase in the volume of residual urine may be an explanation for such clinical manifestations as frequent urination, interruption of the urine stream, delay, incontinence. Also, the change in this parameter can directly indicate vesicoureteral reflux, diverticula of the bladder and other disorders.