In the article, we will figure out what an ultrasound of the bladder will show. This procedure is an important component of the examination of patients with suspected kidney and excretory diseases. This is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that has no contraindications. It is approved for use by children, pregnant women and adults, as it is completely safe.
What an ultrasound of the bladder will show is interesting to many.
Basic principles of preparation
The preparation for this study may vary depending on how it is conducted. The transabdominal type is performed with a filled bladder and necessarily empty bowel. Two or three hours before the scheduled procedure, you need to drink one liter of liquid and you can not urinate. Immediately before the analysis itself, the patient is given a diuretic tablet in order to accelerate the formation of urine by the kidneys.
Bowel preparation
It is necessary to prepare the intestines. Within two days before the examination, patients who suffer from flatulence must be sure to follow a diet that restricts foods that promote gas formation in the intestines. The day before, this organ is cleaned by setting glycerin suppositories or microclysters. In order to reduce the number of gases, activated carbon is taken. Transvaginal examination of the bladder does not require the patient to fill it.
How does this procedure go for the fair sex?
How is an ultrasound of the bladder in women? To get a reliable examination result, the patient must adhere to all medical recommendations, in particular, to perform the correct preparation for diagnosis.
This will make it possible to obtain reliable information with which you can make an accurate diagnosis by prescribing effective treatment. Manipulation is mainly carried out transabdominally. True, in some situations, transvaginal access using a special sensor may be prescribed.
How to prepare for a bladder ultrasound for men? We will talk about this below.
In men
Examination of the bladder by ultrasound in men is usually carried out through the wall of the abdomen. And only in the presence of severe obesity, ascites, or suspicion of a prostate tumor is it advisable to use transrectal access.
Cleansing enemas
The peculiarities of preparing the stronger sex for this study include the implementation of cleansing enemas several hours before the diagnosis. This makes it possible to free the intestines from feces, providing access to the sensor to the required depth within the rectum.
Preparation for the study of ultrasound of the bladder
The main principle in the framework of the success of this study is to fill the bladder. There are several ways to do this.
The first of them is physiological, which consists in the natural filling of the studied organ with urine for several hours. This technique can only be used if the study was scheduled for early morning, because the bubble manages to fill up overnight. True, this method of preparation for the study of ultrasound of the bladder is not suitable for all people, since many immediately after waking up may have a strong need for emptying. As an option, it is allowed to set an alarm for three in the morning, go to the toilet and then, by the appointed time, be ready for the planned study.
Fluid volume
The consumption of a large volume of fluid is very important. How much water to drink before an ultrasound of the bladder? One and a half hours before the diagnosis, a person should drink at least three glasses of still water. Tea or compote is allowed, but it should be borne in mind that milk is prohibited. In the event that by the appointed hour the patient has a lot of time, but already has a strong urge to urinate, the patient is allowed to lower a certain amount of urine until relief is achieved. True, after this, you immediately need to drink another glass of liquid.
Another way is to use diuretics. It is used quite rarely, usually it is done when, within a couple of hours after drinking 500 milliliters of liquid, there is no sense of fullness of the bladder. This method is not recommended to be used independently, only by agreement with the treating specialist.
Main characteristics
So, what does an ultrasound of the bladder show? Using this diagnostic technique, you can determine the shape along with the dimensions, external and internal contours, the nature of the contents, the thickness of the walls, their integrity and traumatic damage to the organ. Thanks to all this information, a diagnosis is easily established and appropriate treatment is prescribed.
An ultrasound of the bladder to determine acute cystitis can show the presence of echogenic small particles in the cavity of the organ under study (accumulation of leukocytes, red blood cells and other elements). In the absence of timely therapy, the contours of the bladder become uneven, and its walls, in turn, significantly thicken. This indicates the transition of cystitis to the chronic stage.
The patient’s detection of an echogenic site of a rather large size, which is tightly soldered to the wall, indicates the presence of stones, polyps, prostate hypertrophy in males and ureterocele. In the event that the formations are notable for their mobility, then it is quite possible to suspect a foreign body or blood clots. The cause of this manifestation is also air entering the bladder through fistulas or during the installation of a catheter.
Organ enlargement in size
Against the background of an increase in organ size, it is necessary first of all to exclude prostate hyperplasia along with a neurogenic bladder, the presence of a large number of calculi, impaired urinary output in the urethra in men and trauma to the excretory ducts in women.
Thus, ultrasound examination of the bladder helps to completely diagnose patients with no pain. However, one cannot independently decipher the result, since only a specialist can competently do this. Adhering to medical recommendations, you can quickly get rid of any unpleasant symptoms of pathology.
Ultrasound of the bladder - the norm
The shape of the organ directly depends on the level and degree of its fullness, and in addition, on the state of the surrounding tissues. On transverse images, we will talk about a rounded element, and on longitudinal - about an ovoid. The contours of the bubble should be clear and even. In women, the presence of pregnancy and the number of births affect the shape of the organ. Unlike the male type of bladder, the female is more compressed on top and widened on the sides. These factors are necessarily taken into account as part of the decoding of ultrasound.
The structure should normally be echo-negative. The older the person, the higher the echogenicity due to the presence of inflammatory chronic diseases. As for the volume of the bladder on ultrasound, the average capacity of this organ in women is from 250 to 550, and in men - from 350 to 750 milliliters.
The walls of the bubble over the entire surface must necessarily have the same thickness from two to four millimeters, which, by the way, depends on the degree of its fullness. In the event that local thickening with thinning of the walls is observed in one or several areas, then this manifestation is considered as a pathology.
Residual urine in the background of ultrasound examination of the bladder is measured without fail. Normally, its volume should not be more than 50 milliliters. The interpretation of this type of diagnosis can identify serious pathologies, the treatment of which should be immediate, for example, we can talk about the following diseases:
- The development of cystitis (organ inflammation).
- The appearance of neoplasms, including cancerous tumors.
- The presence of stones in the bladder (in this case they speak of urolithiasis).
- The presence of a foreign body and a variety of vascular pathologies.
- The development of cystic reflux (reverse urinary reflux from the bladder to the ureters).
- The appearance of inflammatory processes.
- The presence of congenital malformations of the bladder in children and acquired among adult patients.
- The presence of hyperactivity (increased functionality) of the body.
- The development of enuresis (incontinence).
- The appearance of a diverticulum of the bladder (we are talking about protrusion of the walls with the formation of bag-shaped reservoirs for urine).
Eating
Can I eat before an ultrasound of the bladder? In order for the doctor to carefully examine the organ, you need to completely empty the stomach of any food debris, and the intestines from feces, and you also need to take care of reducing the processes of gas formation. Thus, before an ultrasound scan, you need to ask the diagnostic doctor in detail about the features of the entire preparatory process or use a memo for patients.
Preparation for the study includes two components, namely a diet with a certain nutritional regime and bowel cleansing. This requires strict adherence to the rules and follow all instructions.
A diet before this analysis is prescribed three days before its actual implementation, and it consists in an absolute rejection of products that lead to increased gas formation and slagging of the body. What should not be eaten before such a study and what products should be completely excluded from your diet at a time when it is necessary to prepare for an ultrasonic analysis? From the diet, it is necessary to remove legumes (in the form of peas, beans, beans, lentils), bakery products along with baked goods, sweets, raw fruits and vegetables, fatty meat and fish, dairy products, juices, strong coffee and tea. It is also worth abandoning carbonated drinks, alcohol and water. Products that can be eaten before appropriate diagnosis:
- The use of cereals - buckwheat, barley, oatmeal, from flax seeds.
- The use of lean meat of poultry or fish, beef, steamed or boiled.
- Hard boiled eggs, but not more than one per day.
- Reception of low-fat varieties of cheese.
As part of the preparation, you need to eat very often, at least five times a day after four hours and drink plenty of fluids, for example, still water or weakly brewed tea up to two liters per day. For patients who are interested in whether it is possible to eat immediately before an ultrasound, the answer is as follows: the procedure is carried out in the morning on an empty stomach, provided the last meal is taken during a light late dinner. In the case of analysis after lunch, the subject is allowed to have breakfast with dietary-approved foods no later than nine in the morning. And then do not eat anything else inside and do not drink before research.
Is an ultrasound performed on an empty bladder?
Can an organ be empty?
This organ should be unfilled during transvaginal ultrasound examination. This method is used as an alternative technique in the case of contraindications to the transabdominal type of diagnosis. Thus, the analysis is carried out on an empty bladder using a special sensor.
What medications make the preparation process easier?
For people who suffer from flatulence or suffer from constipation, doctors recommend the use of medications that relieve this pathological manifestation, greatly facilitating the preparatory stage. For example, against the background of excessive gas formation or in order to prevent this, prescribe drugs that contain special enzymes, we are talking about “Festal” or “Mezime”, from meteorism enterosorbents in the form of white coal, “Smecta” or “Espumisan” are also suitable (one tablet three times a day).
In order to regulate the stool, it is necessary to use laxatives every day, such as Senada, Bisacodyl and Guttalax, so that the intestines can cleanse themselves of fecal mass and have less time to spend, and at the same time efforts for special cleansing.
We examined what an ultrasound bladder shows.