How is cystography done in children: photos, reviews

Unfortunately, urological pathologies are very common. Diseases of the genitourinary system are common not only in adults, but also among children. In order to start treatment on time and not to allow chronic course of pathology, it is necessary to carry out diagnostics. Detection of ailments is carried out with the help of various instrumental and laboratory studies. One of the diagnostic methods is cystography. This is an unpleasant procedure, but in some cases it is considered necessary. Therefore, in the appointment of this study, parents are interested: why is cystography performed in children, how is it done, what is needed for training? Consult your doctor about these issues.

What is cystography?

Any doctor can answer the question about how cystography is done in children, nevertheless, it is better to contact a urologist or a specialist in functional diagnostics to find out all the nuances . First of all, you should know that this method of examination is used to visualize the bladder. Cystography in children is a diagnostic procedure performed with an X-ray machine. Before taking a picture of the genitourinary system, you must enter a contrast agent. This method of research is carried out with suspicion of various urological diseases. It is also necessary before surgery. The organs that are visualized during cystography are the bladder and the renal tubular system. This procedure is performed in various ways, therefore, before preparing for it, it is necessary to clarify how cystography is done in children in a particular case. Also, you should know that there are contraindications for this study.

Cystography in children: how is it done, photos of X-rays

Before carrying out of a cystography in uric ways it is necessary to enter contrast substance. Therefore, this procedure is painful. Especially it concerns children. For this reason, the child must be mentally prepared for the study. It is important to explain how children make cystography: boys and girls. This is important, because the structure of the urethra in men and women has significant differences. You also need to tell the child: why do cystography and how important it is. If you correctly prepare the baby, the study does not frighten him. To learn more about this method of diagnosis, you can see the photos of X-ray photographs in this article. This will help to understand what changes are visualized through the survey.

Variants of carrying out of a cystography

Depending on the method of administration of the contrast medium, two types of cystography are distinguished. Among them:

1. Descending. It is carried out by introducing a dye into a vein. After a while, the contrast medium fills the bladder and an X-ray can be taken.
2. Ascending cystography. Contrast is introduced into the urethra - the urethra. Thus, you can visualize organs faster. This method is used more often, since it is more convenient. Nevertheless, there are contraindications to this study. In such cases, descending cystography is performed.

Since the diagnostic method involves the insertion of a catheter into the urethra, the procedure delivers unpleasant sensations. Also, during an X-ray study, the device can make loud noises, which usually scares the kids. Parents and children should be warned about this. Another option for the procedure is mictorial cystography, it is performed at the time of urination. This method allows you to diagnose a larger range of urological pathologies.

What are the indications for cystography?

In addition to explaining how cystography in children is done, parents should be informed and what this unpleasant examination is for. For carrying out this method of diagnosis, the following indications exist:

1. Suspicion of a bladder tumor.
2. Birth defects.
3. Stones or sand in the ureters.
4. Enuresis.
5. Tuberculosis of the urino-genital organs.
6. Reflux. This condition occurs when the urine is returned to the kidneys. This is a dangerous syndrome, as it leads to chronic pathologies.
7. Suspicion of complications arising after the transferred infectious diseases.

The symptoms of all these pathologies are similar, therefore it is impossible to diagnose this or that disease solely by the clinical picture. The following complaints may be grounds for examination: pain, urinary incontinence, frequent urge.

When is cystography contraindicated?

Before performing an X-ray, the doctor prescribes a variety of laboratory tests. They are needed to find out whether there are any contraindications to the performance of cystography. You should know that this method of diagnosis can not be carried out with inflammatory processes of the organs of urination. These include: cystitis, urethritis, pyelonephritis. All these diseases can be identified, thanks to general and special analyzes of urine. In some cases, ultrasound is required prior to performing the cystography. It helps to determine if the bladder and kidneys are inflamed. All these pathologies serve as contraindications for ascending cystography, since carrying out this method involves the introduction of a catheter. With inflammation, the instrument will only increase pain, and may also aggravate the infectious process. In these cases, the study should be postponed until the child recovers. In those cases where cystography is needed urgently, it is performed in a downward fashion. Also a contraindication is an allergy to contrast agents. Whether the child has an increased reactivity of the immune system, you should definitely know before assigning such methods of diagnosis.

Preparing a child for research

After explaining how cystography of ureters is done in children, it is necessary to tell parents in detail about the preparation for it. Since X-ray examination is undesirable to conduct several times in a row, it is necessary to comply with the prescriptions of the doctor in advance. The preparation for cystography refers to the cleansing of the intestine. To this end, the baby is prescribed a diet 2 days before the study. It is necessary to exclude from the diet of the child carbonated drinks, cabbage. To remove excess gases, a child can drink several spoonfuls of decoction from the seeds of dill. Cleansing enema should be done in the morning, just before the cystography. In addition, in the preparation of children who are addicted to allergic reactions, it is necessary to perform tests for the tolerability of the contrast.

Technique of the procedure

For the results to be reliable, it is necessary to observe the technique of performing cystography. This procedure includes the following steps:

1. Giving the child a level position on the radiology unit. The first image is taken before the introduction of contrast medium. During the study, the child should not move.
2. Introduction of contrast. The amount of colorant depends on the age of the patient. If this is a child of a younger age, then he needs to enter from 50 to 100 ml. Children from 12 years pour in the same dose as adult patients. It is 200-300 ml. As a contrast, the substances used are "Urografine", "Yodamid".
3. Insertion of a catheter into the urethra.
4. Repeated X-ray examination in the direct and lateral projections.
5. Monitoring the condition of the child after the procedure.

Cystography in infants is done only in case of special need. This is due not only to the painfulness of this method of diagnosis, but also to the harmful effects of x-rays on the baby's body. Nevertheless, there are cases when you can not do without cystography. These include the suspicion of congenital anomalies in the development of the genitourinary system, fistulous passages. These conditions require surgery at an early age.

What you can see in the pictures: decoding

After receiving information about how cystography is done in children, the patient's parents are interested in the question: what can you see in the pictures. The interpretation of the results is as follows:

1. Assessment of the size, shape and location of the urinary system. All this is visualized on the original (first) picture.
2. Determination of pathological formations or reflux.

Thanks to this method of diagnosis, it is possible to see the enlargement of the ureters, compare them with each other. Also, radiographic images visualize the reverse transfer of urine into the calyxal-pulmonary system of the kidney - reflux. If there is a fistula, the contrast material comes out through a hole that should not be normal. Stones or tumors in the bladder are visualized after filling. In the presence of any formations, pneumocystography (introduction of gas into the cavity of the organ) is required. If there are stones in the ureters, the contrast agent can not pass through them. Due to the changes visualized in the pictures, one can judge the presence of various pathologies.

Cystography in children. How it works: patient feedback

Despite the benefits of cystography, parents' feedback is not always positive. This is due to the painful procedure. Nevertheless, when the disease is detected and the patients are treated in a timely manner, the patients are satisfied. After all, despite the unpleasant sensations, the result of this study is necessary for the diagnosis.