A cystogram is a medical test that uses x-rays to examine the bladder. This test can be used in diagnosing a condition called Reflux , which is characterized by an accumulation of urine that should be leaving the body. Instead, it moves through the tubes that carry urine to the bladder and back to the kidneys. Cystograms are also used to determine the shape and position of a patient's bladder, as well as to find damage from injuries, tumors, and polyps.
To undergo a cystogram, you lie on an X-ray table. Your pubic area is then cleaned and a medical professional places a catheter, a small, thin tube, into your urethra, the opening from which urine comes out. of the body. Once the catheter is in place, a medical professional uses the catheter to fill your bladder with a solution, called a contrast agent, which is intended to make it easier to see the organs. Usually, a radiologist, a doctor who specializes in radiology, or a urologist, a doctor who specializes in the health of the urinary system, performs the procedure.
With the contrast agent in place, the doctor begins taking x-rays with a fluoroscope, an x-ray unit that is attached to a monitor or television screen. The doctor may look at the patient's bladder on the monitor and ask the patient to turn on their side or move slightly as needed. After the doctor has obtained the images he needs, he removes the catheter and allows the patient to urinate. Additional x-rays may be taken to determine if any contrast agent remains after the patient voids.
There is another procedure, similar to a cystogram, used to examine the bladder. Called a voiding cystourethrogram, it looks like a cystogram until the catheter is removed. At that point, the patient urinates into a container while the doctor continues to take x-rays. This extra step allows the doctor to see the bladder during urination, which can aid in diagnosis.
Patients usually have no restrictions on eating or drinking before a cystogram. However, they may not be able to urinate right before the test. A cystogram is usually not painful, although the pressure of a bladder filled with contrast agent can be uncomfortable for some. Similarly, catheter insertion can be uncomfortable. To help make it easier on the patient, some doctors may place a numbing agent around the urethra before inserting the catheter.